Is This Really Home?
by wolflover777
Summary: Fang's next door neighbors adopt Max. He's the popular bad boy in school. She's the tough, sarcastic orphan. Will they get along? Will Max tell them how she became an orphan? First story, so suggestions are very appreciated! Chapter 18 is now up!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

(Fang's POV)

My cell woke me up. Its annoying ringing was right in my ear. Groaning, I picked up my iPhone and answered it. "What?" I asked, sounding half-asleep and grumpy.

"Dude! You've got to get over here! My new adoptive sister is coming today!" Iggy said. Iggy is my best friend. He's taller than me (I'm six feet even, he's six-two), with strawberry blond hair and pale skin. He's a pyromaniac, and an expert at anything explosive related, and he could pick pretty much any lock. He has blue eyes, and is the best cook I knew. He's sixteen, like me. His actual name is James Griffiths.

His little brother, Gazzy, was ten, with blond, spiky hair, the tips of which were dyed dark blue, and sky blue eyes. His nickname is pretty self explanatory. He, like Iggy, was a pyromaniac and Iggy's right-hand man. He helped Iggy build bombs. His actual name is Zephyr Griffiths.

Their little sister, Angel, has blond curly hair and blue eyes. She is adorable (Ugh. I hate that word. It makes me sound so gay.). She's, well, angelic, but she has a secret weapon: Bambi Eyes. She could rule the world with Bambi Eyes. Her actual name is Angela Griffiths.

Their mom, Dr. Martinez (aka Dr. M), is tall with dark hair and brown eyes. Their dad left a few years ago, but he's rich, and sends them lots of money every month. Not that I'm complaining. My mom's rich too. No dad.

"Alright, Ig, calm down. I'll just grab Nudge and be there in a second." I said. Nudge is my adoptive sister. She is a light mocha color, with long, dark hair. She's also a fashion-obsessed chatterbox. We call her the Nudge Channel. And it was random too. She could go from talking about the weather, to how "hot" Taylor Laughtner is. Please. I beat him any day.

"Make sure you wear something nice! We want to make a good first impression!" Iggy said before hanging up.

I sighed and got up. I threw on my black jeans, black Nikes, and a dressy, black button up shirt. I rolled up the sleeves until they were at my elbow and unbuttoned the first two buttons so I could actually breathe. I tried to do something with my hair, but just decided to leave it. My bangs would just fall in my face no matter what I did.

I shook Nudge awake. Nudge isn't a morning person, so I ended up having to literally drag her out of bed. "OW! FANG!!" she yelled as her head hit her floor with a loud and, sadly, satisfying thump. I know that that sounds bad, but the last time _she_ woke _me_ up, she dragged me out of bed and I hit my head on the edge of my nightstand. Mom said it was a miracle that I didn't crack my head open.

I shrugged. "Sorry, but we've got to go. Iggy's new sibling is coming. And Angel asked you to come over." I said. "Hurry up. We leave in twenty minutes."

I walked out as she yelled about how unfair that was, and that she needed more time to get ready. I grabbed two bowls and pour cereal for both of us. Mom wasn't home. She left pretty early for work. I poured milk into my cereal and sat down, wolfing down my breakfast. Nudge came running in about twenty minutes later, grabbed her bowl, and ate even faster than I did.

"You're going to choke." I warned, turning up the TV. Sure enough, two seconds later, I heard her choke and start coughing. I walked over to her and thumped her on the back several times.

I opened my mouth to say "I told you so", but Nudge glared at me and said, "Don't say a word." At my shrug, she added, "You're already so good at it."

I shrugged again. "You talk a lot. I don't. The world is balanced." I grabbed her arm and dragged her out the door. "Now come on. We're gonna be late."

I dragged her next door to Iggy's house and knocked on the door. I knocked on the door. Iggy threw it opened and grabbed my arm, dragging both me and Nudge (I still had her arm) into the house.

"Relax, Iggy." Nudge said. "I'm sure she'll love you guys."

"I hope so. Angel would be crushed if she didn't." Iggy said. He kept shifting around, so I knew he was nervous. He dragged us into the kitchen, where everyone else was waiting. Even Ella was there.

Ella is Iggy's girlfriend for two years. She has dark hair and eyes. She was shorter Nudge, who was about five-six. She was also Nudge's age, so you can imagine how surprised we all were when they started going out. They really do like each other though.

"Nudge! Fang!" Angel yelled, running up to us and hugging both of us. Nudge was like a sister to Angel. I was kind of like her father figure. She didn't remember much of her dad, and she never had a guy, that wasn't her brother, that she could look up to as a dad.

I hugged her back, and Nudge followed her back over to Ella as the two girls tried to calm Angel and Dr. M down. Guess I had to try to do my best for Iggy and Gazzy.

"So, how do you feel?" I asked.

"Nervous." Gazzy said.

Iggy nodded in agreement. "Not as bad as Mom and Angel, but still pretty nervous." he added.

"I'm sure she'll love you guys." I said.

Iggy shrugged. "Maybe. Emily, the agent that's in charge of her, told us that she bounced from foster home to foster home. Some were 'abusive'." he said, putting air quotes around abusive. "She didn't go into detail. She entered the orphanage when she was five. Apparently, she doesn't talk to people she doesn't know very well. But she supposedly sings, and she has all these different instruments. She's never told anyone _how_ she ended up at the orphanage, or what happened to her parents. Obviously."

"Yeah, that's why we're so nervous." Gazzy added, shifting uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about it. That's the thing. You've just got to let her get used to you, and then she'll start talking. But how do they know she sings if she hardly talks to anyone?" I asked.

"Apparently, Emily heard her sing once. She was ticked afterwards, but Emily said it was worth it because she had the best voice she'd ever heard." Iggy said thoughtfully. "Maybe after we get her to open up we can convince her to sing in our band. If not permanently, then occasionally. Also, she's tough and claustrophobic. She's not good with physical contact either. She gets very…defensive, apparently."

I nodded. We were in a band called The Flock. I was the lead singer and electric guitar player, Gazzy played bass, Iggy played drums, Nudge played the keyboard, and this other kid we knew, Zack, was our sound effects and light guy. We were pretty popular, and good, if I say so myself. "Sounds cool."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Dr. M rushed to the door, the rest of us following. Dr. M opened the door to reveal a woman and a girl that looked about fifteen years old. The woman was tall with red hair and green eyes, but I ignored her. I was too busy studying the insanely hot girl next to her. I was so glad I wasn't Iggy's brother at this point.

She had dirty blond hair with dark blue streaks and eyes the color of melted chocolate. She had an athletic, but curvy, body. Her face was guarded, showing absolutely no emotion. She was tense and alert, studying all of us. She was wearing ripped blue jeans and a black shirt. Her shirt said, "If you can read this, you are in my Round House Kicking Range." This made me chuckle slightly.

"Hello Emily." Dr. M said.

Emily smiled. "Hello Valencia. It's good to see you again. This is Maximum Ride. Max for short. Her instruments will be brought in later today." She turned to Max. "Max, do you have something to say to them?" she asked.

Max rolled her eyes, but gave us a short nod and a small smile. "Hey."

"That translates into 'Hello, thank you for adopting me.'" Emily said. "You'll easily learn all of her little habits. It'll just take awhile."

Max walked into the room and looked around. She seemed mildly interested. Angel walked up to her and beamed up at her. "Hi, I'm Angel!" she said. She held up her stuffed bear. It was brown with an angel's gown. "This is Celeste!"

Max looked down at Angel, obviously surprised, but decided to humor her. She took the beat and looked at it. She gently smiled at Angel and handed her the bear back. "Do you like him?" Angel asked uncertainly.

Max nodded. "He's pretty cool. I had one kind of like that when I was around your age." she said, smiling. But if you looked into her eyes, you could see some pain there, as if these weren't her best memories. Angel then decided it was her responsibility to introduce the rest of us.

Max gave us a slight nod when Angel was done, then she turned to look at the photos that were strewn around the room. She picked one up that she seemed interested in. "Max, I'm leaving now, alright? Just call, or text, me if you need something." Emily said. Max looked at her over her shoulder, nodded, and waved. Emily smiled and placed a hand tentatively on Max's shoulder. Max stiffened at first, but then relaxed some. "Bye, Max."

"See you later. Be careful with the instruments when you come back." Max replied, looking at the picture again.

"So, Max, would you like to see your room?" Dr. M asked after Emily left.

Max nodded. She followed Dr. M up the stairs, the rest of us following closely behind. Dr. M walked all the way down the hall to the guest bedroom. Max grimaced when she saw the walls were painted a light tan. But she put her bag on the bed and started to look around. She immediately went out into the balcony.

She relaxed more as she walked outside. She rolled her shoulders, frowning in discomfort for a split second before smiling and looking out at the view. The balcony faced the back of the house, which was covered in trees. And the sun set in this direction too.

Max grinned at Dr. M over her shoulder. "Nice view." she said.

Dr. M smiled. "I thought you'd like the balcony. You can repaint the walls if you want, since you don't like the tan." she replied.

Max seemed surprised. "It's not the tan. It's light colors in general." she said. She ran her hand along the balcony rail, which was painted white. "The only light color I like is white."

"Note to self," Iggy said, "don't buy Max something light colored as a present."

Max rolled her eyes.

"So, Max, what kind of instruments do you play?" I asked, mildly curious. I didn't expect it to be much. Boy, was I wrong.

"Electric, acoustic, and bass guitars, piano, keyboard, etc, etc. And my voice." she replied.

"But your voice isn't an instrument." I protested.

"Yes it is. It's the oldest instrument there is." she replied.

It was then that Nudge exploded. Metaphorically, of course. I was actually surprised she'd held it in this long. "OMG! You play all of that? You should be in our band! I play keyboard, Fang sings and plays electric guitar, Jerry plays bass, and Iggy plays drums. We're called The Flock and we're really popular. Have you ever–" she was cut off by Max's hand. Max had stared at her, obviously impressed, for a couple seconds before walking up to her and covering her mouth.

Max looked her up and down, almost like she was sizing her up. Nudge shifted self-consciously under Max's intense stare. Finally, Max raised an eyebrow at her, smiling slightly. "I am _never_ giving you sugar." she said, slight amusement in her voice as she removed her hand.

Nudge smile sheepishly up at her. "Sorry." she said. Max just shrugged in response.

"Are you hungry Max?" Dr. M asked. Max perked up and nodded enthusiastically. "Come on. I'll make us some lunch."

"I would offer to help, but…well, let's just say you won't have a house by the time I'm done." Max said, straight-faced. Iggy and I chuckled slightly while the others tried to decide whether she was serious or not.

"Thanks for the offer, but I like our house." Dr. M replied, smiling over her shoulder.

"So, what kind of name is Maximum?" I asked Max.

"And Fang is better?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Touché." I mumbled grudgingly.

Max rolled her eyes. At my immaturity, I guess.

"Come on you two. Stop flirting and get your sandwiches." Nudge said.

"We're not flirting!" Max and I yelled at the same time. Then we looked at each other in surprise. "Weird." Again, we both said it at the same time.

"Seriously, guys, cut it out. That's just creepy." Iggy said.

"Kind of like those creepy twins in that phone commercial." Max mumbled before grabbing her food. I rolled my eyes and followed her. We'd just got done eating when the bell rang.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

(Max's POV)

Everyone at the table grew quiet for a minute. I stood up and headed towards the door, figuring it was probably Emily with my instruments. I opened the door and found that I was right. Emily was standing in the door way holding my electric and bass guitars. I raised an eyebrow at her, then took them from her, heading towards my room.

"Hey, Fang! Can you help me carry this stuff to my room?" I called into the kitchen as I passed.

"Sure." he replied, and I heard him get up from the table. I carried my guitars and their stands up to my room. Fang came in a few seconds later with my drum set.

"Where do you want this?" he asked.

I pointed to the corner I'd put my guitars at. "Just put them over there. I'll figure out what to do with them later." I replied easily.

"I have a music room at my house. The whole thing is totally sound proof. We can take your instruments there if you want." he offered.

I nodded. "Not right now though. I'm just focusing on getting them into the house at this point." I said, frowning at the guitars, as if glaring at them would make that shrink into an easily portable size. I wish. I brushed past Fang and down the stairs, grabbing my acoustic and mike stand, as well as my mike. I passed Fang again in the hallway.

A few minutes later, one corner of my room was filled with musical instruments of all shapes and sizes. I sighed and glared at the instruments, again wishing that they would shrink into more portable, and easily stored sizes.

"So, you're really into music?" Fang asked.

I nodded. "Every since I was a little kid. You're in a band, right? The Flock?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's just for fun. We do some gigs at this teen club down the road, but a lot of people come to see us." he replied.

"Huh." I said. "We better get back downstairs." I added after a minute of silence. "You know, say goodbye to Emily."

I started to walk by him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder stopping me. I instantly stiffened. Some of the foster families I'd been to were abusive. It had made me…paranoid, I guess. I looked over my shoulder at him, shooting him a _get-your-hand-off-me-right-now_ look. He chose to ignore it.

"Max, I promise you'll like it here. These guys are good people. Very different people, but good people all the same." he told me gently.

"Thanks." I mumbled. I grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand off my shoulder, shooting him a harder warning look. "Come on." I added, heading for the stairs. When we got down, Emily was talking to the others.

"Hey." she said. She got up and hugged me, even though I stiffened up like a board. After a couple seconds, I relaxed and hugged her back. "I've got to go, alright? You have your cell phone, so just call me if you need anything. And don't hesitate to call me this time." Emily said, giving me a stern look.

I nodded. "See you in two weeks." I replied. She squeezed my shoulder before walking towards the door, calling out a goodbye to the others.

"You seem to be comfortable around her." Fang said, obviously trying and failing to start a conversation.

"Yeah, she's been my agent since I entered the orphanage." I said. "We're pretty close at this point. She always got ticked off when I wouldn't call her immediately when I went to an abusive foster home."

Fang scowled. "Why didn't you?" he asked, giving me a _you're-such-an-idiot_ look.

I shrugged. "I'm stubborn. I wanted to take care of it myself. I've always been that way, probably always will be."

"Max!" Dr. M called.

I poked my head into the kitchen. "Yes?" I replied, trying to be polite. I mean, she was my foster mom after all.

"I forgot to tell you, a friend of mine is dropping off our dog from my office. Will that bother you?" she asked, seeming worried.

I shook my head. "It's cool. I like dogs. Its cats that I can't stand. Dogs are sweet and loyal. Cats are obnoxious and always scratch me. Little buggers." I said, mumbling the last part. Fang heard me and started chuckling, but I decided to ignore him.

"His name is Total!" Angel said excitedly.

"Yeah, he's awesome!" Gazzy yelled.

I smiled at them. "Do you know what kind of dog it is?" I asked.

"A Scottish terrier." Angel replied proudly.

I chuckled quietly to myself. They're cute kids.

"So, Max," Iggy said casually, "why don't you want to join our band?"

I shrugged. "I've never been in a band. I'm not used to people watching me sing."

Iggy burst out laughing. "Are you telling me you have stage fright?" he asked, struggling through his laughs. "The tough, sarcastic Maximum Ride has stage fright?"

I glared at him, and, to my pleasure, he instantly shut up. People tell me I can be terrifying when I want to be. "Let me get this through your head. I. Do. Not. Have. Stage. Fright." I said, emphasizing each word by poking him in the chest.

Iggy grinned wickedly at me. "Prove it." he said. "Sing a song for us right now."

I frowned, debating it. I wasn't entirely truthful about the whole stage fright thing. I really don't like singing in front of people. But, if I back down now, I'll be showing weakness, which I never do. If you back down from someone, you're just giving them permission to push you around. So, with a mumbled, "Fine." I walked up to my room and grabbed one of my guitars.

When I went back downstairs, everybody was watching me closely, obviously curious and excited. I scowled in their direction so they'd know I wasn't happy, but started plucking strings on my guitar. At first, I was just tuning it, but then I finally started playing the song. Fang, Iggy, and Nudge perked up a bit, so I guess the recognized the song. Then I started singing

_Hey Lucy, I remember your name._

They gasped when they heard my voice. I just smirked and kept going.

_I left a dozen roses on your grave today._

_I'm in the grass, on my knees, wipe the leaves away._

_I just came to talk for a while._

_I got some things I need to say._

_Now that it's over,_

_I just wanna hold her._

_I'd give up the world to see,_

_That little piece of heaven looking back at me._

_Now that it's over,_

_I just wanna hold her._

_I've gotta live with the choices I made,_

_And I can't live with myself today._

_Hey Lucy I remembered your birthday._

_They said it'd bring some closure to say your name._

_I know I'd do it all different if I had the chance,_

_But all I've got are these roses to give._

_And they can't help me make amends_

_Now that it's over,_

_I just wanna hold her._

_I'd give up the world to see,_

_That little piece of heaven looking back at me._

_Now that it's over,_

_I just wanna hold her._

_I've gotta live with the choices I made, _

_And I can't live with myself today._

_Here we are,_

_Now you're in my arms._

_I've never wanted anything so bad._

_Here we are,_

_For a brand new start._

_Living the life we could've had._

_Me and Lucy walking hand in hand._

_Me and Lucy never wanna end._

_Just another moment in your eyes,_

_I'll see you in another life._

_In heaven where we never say goodbye._

_Now that it's over,_

_I just wanna hold her._

_I'd give up the word to see,_

_That little piece of heaven looking back at me._

_Now that it's over,_

_I just wanna hold her._

_I've gotta live with the choices I made,_

_And I can't live with myself today._

_Me and Lucy walking hand in hand._

_Me and Lucy never wanna end._

_Got to live with the choices I've made,_

_And I can't live with myself today._

_Hey Lucy I remember your name._

I stopped and the whole room suddenly exploded in cheers. "Holy crap, Max!" Gazzy yelled.

"Gazzy, don't use that kind of language." Dr. M said. Then she looked up and beamed at me. "You sounded amazing, Max."

I could feel my face heating up and swore to myself. "It wasn't _that_ great." I mumbled.

Nudge stared at me. "OMG! Are you kidding?! That was amazing! It's a crime to hide a voice like that! You might even be better than Fang! I mean–"

"Nudge." I said, cutting off her mini-rant. I raised an eyebrow at her and she grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry." she said. "It's just that you shouldn't talk about your talent like that. You've probably got the best voice I've ever heard."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Fang grumbled. He smirked at me. "It was really good though. You're joining our band."

I frowned. "I already said no."

His smirk grew. "You say no now, but we'll break you. Mark my words, within two months you'll be permanently singing for our band." he replied easily.

I rolled my eyes and headed towards the stairs. "You wish!" I called back over my shoulder.

"We wouldn't ask if we didn't!" Iggy yelled back. I sighed and put my guitar back. When I got back downstairs, I saw that everyone had migrated to the living room. The others were strewn about the living room, watching Iggy and Angel play Dance Dance Revolution. The saddest part? Angel was winning. By _a lot_.

"Wow, Igs." I said, walking up to them. "You suck."

"Shut up." he grumbled. "Angel is the master at this game. She beats _everybody_." he said. Just then the game ended and he glared at Angel, who'd beaten him by 100,000 points or something. She just smiled back at him, well, angelically.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You beat everyone at this game?" I asked her, surprised.

She beamed up at me proudly. "Uh-huh."

"Huh." I grunted. "Let me try." And so, I did try. And I failed. Not as bad as Iggy, but she still beat me. By 100 points. "Holy Swiss cheese cow!" I exclaimed. **(AN: I actually used to say that. Get it? Holy because it's a Swiss cheese cow, so it has holes. It's the new and improved version of Holy cow.)**

This, of course, caused everyone to laugh. I grinned at Angel. "You really do beat everybody. Maybe you should go pro." I said, giving her a high-five. Okay, so I'm usually a sore loser, but for some reason I don't mind losing to little kids. I don't get it. You'd think it would be more of an insult to lose to someone younger than you than it would be to lose to someone who is your age or older.

Anyways, that's what we did all day. We played DDR the whole day. I beat Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy. Nudge beat me by _ten points_. I _was_ mad about that. And I had Fang, Iggy, and Nudge bugging me about being in their band all day.

But do you know what really puts a damper on your good mood? Going to school. Today is Friday, so I only have two precious days until it's back to school. Don't you just hate your life sometimes.

**AN: Alright, everybody, I need your help. I'm still debating about whether or not I should give Max wings in this story. Do you think I should? Review and tell me! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks for all of the reviews. I really appreciate it. Because most of you didn't want the wings, I decided that I wasn't going to give Max wings. Luckily, I thought ahead and made two different plots that I could use either way! Check out my new story She's More. What are Max's secrets? You'll find out in the second chapter! (Fang won't though. HAHA!!)**

(Fang's POV)

My alarm clock droned on and on and on…you get the point. I managed to ignore it for five minutes. Worst of all, it was one of the kind that increased in volume the longer it went off. Eventually I picked it up and threw it at the wall. It shut up, but I was disappointed when it didn't break. Then I remembered _why_ my alarm clock was waking me up at six in the freaking morning and I groaned.

School. All kids' hell on earth.

Sighing, I dragged myself out of bed and threw on my usual black ensemble. I ran my fingers through my hair. It helped with my bed head, but my bangs still fell in my eyes, like they always did. Shrugging, I walked into the bathroom. After I'd brushed my teeth and all that jazz, I went downstairs.

Nudge was already eating breakfast, and had set out a bowl of cereal for me. As I slid into the chair, Nudge rolled her eyes. "One of these days, I will make you wear color." she said solemnly.

"Good luck with that." I scoffed.

We grabbed our backpacks and walked outside. Max, Iggy, Angel, and gazzy were waiting for us. Max had opened up to us a little more over the weekend, but she was still really closed off.

"Hey guys!" Nudge said excitedly. She looked up at Max. "Are you ready?"

Max just grimaced in response.

"She has all of her classes with you, so she has someone to show her around." Iggy told me. "Mom would've picked me, but I'm in detention most of the time anyway. I might corrupt her."

Max rolled her eyes. "If someone is corrupting anybody, it's me. Trust me, you'll all be little Maxkateers by the time I'm done with you." she said as we started walking.

"Our school is pretty big, but the design is basic. Soon, you'll be able to walk through it blindfolded." Nudge assured her.

"Great." Max grumbled. "That just means there's an even greater chance that I'll get into a fight with someone by the end of the day."

"You'll be fine." Iggy said. "If you need some back up, I'm always here." He slung his arm around her shoulders. Max stiffened, then instantly calmed down. But it seemed…forced. Like she was forcing herself to remain calm and not rip Iggy's arm off.

"Thanks." she mumbled, shifting uneasily.

Iggy finally noticed that she wasn't comfortable and took his arm off. "Sorry. I forgot the No Touch rule."

Max gave him a half-smile. "IT's fine. I have to get used to it anyways."

Angel grabbed Max's hand as we crossed a street. Max jumped, surprised, but smiled at Angel and kept holding her hand. This made Angel happy.

"She likes me better!" Angel taunted Iggy.

Max burst out laughing. "I like all of you the same." she said through her laughter.

Angel frowned. Max bent down to her level and whispered something in her ear. Angel perked up and beamed at Max. "Okay, Max." she said happily.

Max winked at her. "Remember, it's our little secret." she said.

"I'll give you my dirty little secret. Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret." Iggy started singing. I expected Max to roll her eyes or something, but she joined in. Huh, so she does have a corny side. Then Angel and Gazzy joined in. Then Nudge. And I thought, _Eh, what the heck?_ So I started singing too. This seemed to surprise, yet please everyone. And we just kept singing until we finished the song.

As we got closer to the school, the others got more excited, but Max seemed to get more uncomfortable. She subconsciously moved closer to me, her eyes darting around to take in everything. And that's when it hit me. Max is _claustrophobic_. It's not just that she doesn't like the school, but all the crowds make her feel nervous too.

"You alright?" I murmured, trying to keep the others from hearing. Max nodded.

"Nudge wasn't kidding. This school _is_ pretty big." she replied, trying to go for a mildly interested tone. For others, it would have worked, but for me I could see right through her. Her claustrophobia was kicking in big time, her eyes darting from one place to another, looking specifically at all of the exits.

"It'll be fine." I said reassuringly. Max nodded, but she still didn't look convinced.

We waved goodbye to the others and walked to the office. Max walked up to the front desk to talk to the lady there, Mrs. Marks. I would've done it, but I have a reputation to keep up. Mr. Tall, Dark, and _Silent_.

"Are you the new student?" Mrs. Marks asked Max with a kind smile. Max gave her a polite smile back and nodded. "Alright then, here's your schedule. Do you need a map of the school?"

Max shook her head. "Fang's showing me around." she replied, jerking her thumb in my direction.

Mrs. Marks nodded. "Have a good day."

"Thanks. You too." Max said, walking back over to me. "Let's split." she said once she got close to me. I nodded in agreement and walked through the halls towards our first class. Homeroom.

Max was busy looking over her schedule. I grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side when she almost ran into someone. "Thanks." she mumbled, still glaring at her schedule. She sighed. "Dr. M put me in Choir."

"I know how you feel. My mom forced me into choir class." I replied.

I walked into the class room and sat down at my normal seat in the back. I motioned for Max to sit down next to me. We just sat there talking. That is, until Lissa came and sat down on Max's desk, getting in between us.

"Hey, Fang." Lissa said, giving me what was supposed to be a sexy smile. I looked her in the eyes, instead of the place she _wanted_ me to look. "So I was thinking–"

"I keep telling you that you shouldn't do that." I replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I was having a conversation."

"With the new girl? Forget about her, Fangy." Lissa whined. I was seriously getting tired of her stalkerish ways. I saw Max's shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter. It was horrible. Lissa turned to look at her. Max had one hand covering her eyes. She met Lissa's gaze through a small crack she made in her hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm trying to keep myself from being scarred for life. Do you think you could _not_ walk around the school half-naked?" Max replied, smirking.

I wanted to laugh, but I figured that wouldn't be too good. I realized that I should probably try to keep them from tearing each other apart. Well, more like Max tearing Lissa apart and Lissa attempting to to look threatening. "Look Lissa–" I tried, but she interrupted me.

"Come on." Lissa said, still using that whiny voice. "Just ditch this idiot and come with me to a party tonight."

"Excuse me?" Max said, standing up and giving Lissa a death glare. The whole class turned to look at them. "I'm pretty sure you're more idiotic than I am. If you weren't, you'd realize he's not interested in you."

"What makes you think that?" Lissa sneered.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the cold looks and tone he uses with you? And I can see why. You dress like a slut, and your attitude isn't any better." Max growled.

"I could make your life here miserable." Lissa said. "If I were you, I'd be a little nicer to me."

"Yeah? Well thank God I'm not you." Max said. "I don't care what you say about me. Unlike you, I could care less about my reputation. Because once you get out in the real world, nobody is going to care that you were popular in high school."

"You're going to regret this." Lissa said.

Max cocked an eyebrow at her. "The only thing I regret is meeting you." she replied. "Now get out of here. The next time you bug me, we'll see how 'hot' you look in a hospital gown." she added, putting air quotes around "hot".

Lissa was about to say something, but I decided to interject here, before Max actually sent her to the hospital. "Lissa, get the heck away from here. I'm not going to your party."

"But Fangy!" she whined.

"Get." I said, making a shooing motion. Max glared at her as she stalked off. I tugged on Max's sleeve. "Sit down." I said, glaring at the people who were still staring at us. Max huffed, but sat back down.

"Stupid slut." Max grumbled. I nodded in agreement.

"Just ignore her. She thinks that everyone loves her, and that she rules the school. Don't worry about her. As long as you stick with me, you'll be fine reputation wise." I told her.

She sighed. "I don't–"

"Care about your reputation." I finished for her. "I heard you. But I'm just saying that you don't have to worry about it."

I can already tell that this day is going to be bundles of fun. Hardly ten minutes in class and Max was about to kill somebody. The teacher, Mr. Harrison, just seemed to notice Max. "Ah, we have a new student." he said. Everyone rolled their eyes. "Do you mind telling the class something about yourself?"

"Yes." Max said.

Mr. Harrison stared at her in surprise. "What?" I asked.

Max rolled her eyes. "And teachers are supposed to be the smart ones. Yes, I do mind. All you need to know about me is that if you get on my bad side, you're screwed." Geez, this is going to be one of the most interesting school days I've ever had. I'm not sure if that's in a good way or a bad way yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I don't know if these disclaimers are necessary, but I haven't been doing them. Whoops. Well, for those of you who haven't already guessed, I don't own Maximum Ride. And if I don't have to do these disclaimers, someone please tell me, so I only have to do ANs for something important. Also, Max is going to sound a little…harsh? Uh…bad girlish? I don't know what I'm looking for, but that's just how she is in this story, and it is explained in the second paragraph. She hates school, the teachers, and most of the students for a reason.**

(Max's POV)

"Well, that was interesting." Fang said as we walked out of class. I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I rolled my eyes. "School's barely started and I already feel like I'm surrounded by idiots." I grumbled, giving him a pointed look. He scowled at me. We went over to our lockers and put everything in them, except what we needed for Chemistry. "And too think, when we get out of high school, we have college. And then we have jobs. Seems like no one ever gets a break, huh?" I added.

I know I sounded pessimistic, but I couldn't help it. Several of the last school's I'd gone to have had people who've tried to bully me around. Even the teachers. All of them would use the fact that I'm an orphan against me, telling me that's why I'm so hostile, or irresponsible, or telling me that my parents probably abandoned me when I was little. So, I'm naturally vicious against most students and teachers. I also have the uncanny ability to tell when I'm not going to like someone or not as soon as I meet them, so that ties into it too.

"Yep. We're surrounded by idiots, no matter where we go." Fang replied.

I sighed. "Great." I mumbled.

"Oh, by the way, we have Iggy in Chemistry class, so something is bound to blow up. Pray for me." Fang said dramatically.

I raised an eyebrow. "First, who are you and what did you do with Fang? Second, why?" I asked, slightly freaked out.

Fang sighed. "I'm his lab partner. Which means I'll be in the line of fire."

"Ah. Where do you guys sit? I want to make sure I sit as far away from you two as I can. You know, so I sustain the least amount of damage." I said, smiling innocently at him.

He scowled. "You have no heart."

"Hey guys! Wait up!" someone yelled behind us. We turned to see Iggy jogging towards us.

"Speak of the devil and he shall come." I murmured to Fang before Iggy got to us.

"So, you ready for Chemistry class?" he asked.

"That depends. Are you going to blow me up or set my hair on fire?" I countered.

Iggy rolled his eyes. "No. But I can't guarantee that there won't be an explosion." he replied.

I shrugged. "As long as I only get a few bumps and bruises, I'm fine." I said, not really caring. "Who's going to be my partner?"

"Well, right now there an uneven amount of people, so three girls usually end up working together. Now that you're here, you'll be working with one of those three." Iggy said.

"Who are they?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him suspiciously.

"Lissa, Brigid, and J.J." he said. I scowled at the name. Iggy gave me a curious look, but I ignored him.

"She's already had a run in with Lissa. She made her look like a complete idiot, and the slut she is. And she made Mr. Harrison look like an idiot." Fang said. "She'll probably rip their heads off if it's Lissa or Brigid."

"Why wouldn't I like Brigid?" I asked. **(AN: Ah, naïve little Max. You have no clue.)**

"She's like another version of Lissa, just not as popular." Iggy said. "And if Lissa's already told her about you, she's likely to be a bi–g meanie to you." He changed his almost-colorful language as we walked by a teacher. He's already in detention enough as it is. No sense of going back if it's something that's not memorable.

"Yeah, I'll probably kill one of them by the time class is over." I said. "What about J.J?"

Iggy shrugged. "She's cool. Funny and pretty. If I wasn't going out with Ella, she'd definitely be someone I'd want to look into." he replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Sexist pig." I growled, flicking him in the forehead. "Girls aren't just here for your eye candy, you know."

"I learned in Greek Mythology that ancient Greeks believed women were put on this earth to punish men." Fang added.

"There doing a great job at it." Iggy deserved a punch for that one. So, I punched him. Hard. "Ow! You know, violence isn't always the answer!" he yelled, right as we walked into our class room. Everyone stared at us.

I just ignored them and shrugged. "It is for me." I replied simply.

Our Chemistry teacher, a guy named Mr. Fletcher, according to his door, walked up to us. He gave me a lopsided, obviously fake grin. "You must be Maximum?" he asked kindly.

I gave him a wary look, but nodded. "Most people call me Max." I said.

"Why? Maximum is such an exquisite name." he said.

"You know, just because you use words that have more than two syllables doesn't mean you're smart. And could you be any more of a suck up?" I asked. Mr. Fletcher looked at me in shock. I smirked at him. Teachers always expected me to be a good girl, just like all their other students. Unluckily for them, I enjoy messing around with their heads.

He looked angry now. "Well, _Maximum_," he said, sneering my name like he was rubbing it in my face, "you'll be working with Lissa."

I glanced at his desk and saw that he signed his papers with the first name Charles. "Well, _Charles_," I said, copying his tone, "unless we're mixing up something with blood today, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Yeah, your blood maybe." Lissa said.

I turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Are you too good to _bleed_ now? Shut up and stay out of it." I said before turning back to Mr. Fletcher. "I'll be working with J.J." I added. A girl towards the back corner of the class's head shot up in surprise, so I'm guess she was J.J. I started walking towards her.

"I didn't say that you could work with her." Mr. Fletcher said in a last-ditch effort to win some authority over me.

I stopped and sent him a death glare over my shoulder. "Well, I didn't ask." I replied before turning around and sitting next to J.J. She seemed uncomfortable and I smirked at her. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Well, I won't bite you anyways." I told her.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Why?"

I jerked my head in Iggy's direction. "My new foster brother tells me you're alright. Besides, we're going to be lab partners from now on. I figured you wouldn't mind, since it benefits us both." At her confused look, I continued. "If I work with Lissa or Brigid, who I hear is exactly like Lissa, then one of them will be on a trip to the hospital and the dentist before ten minutes is up. Iggy told me you don't like them either."

J.J. rolled her eyes. "Who does? They think they own the school, but a lot of people hate them." she said, sending Lissa and Brigid a glare when they looked our way.

I grinned at her. "You know what? I like you already." I said, laughing. I gave Lissa an innocent look, smiling and waving at her enthusiastically. And then me and J.J. laughed our butts off when she didn't know what to make of it. Despite the fact that I already can't stand Mr. Fletcher, the lab we did was pretty cool. We put these different liquid metals on a stick and stuck it in the fire, and each metal had a different color. **(AN: I had to do this lab once. It was so cool!)**

"What class do you have next?" J.J. asked me. I ignored her and grabbed Fang's sleeve as he was about to leave class.

"Were you about to forget me in here?" I asked him, glaring.

"Um…no?" he said, then looked shocked at the fact that he stuttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Real convincing, Fang." I said, trying hard to keep my own shock off my face. Geez, what's up with him? Fang _never_ stutters. I turned back to J.J., trying to find something to distract myself. "I have Civics next. Then English II, Lunch, Algebra II, Choir, and Gym."

"I have Civics, Algebra, and Gym with you." J.J. said. She looked at Fang. "You're in all of those classes with us too, right?"

He nodded. "Max was put in the same classes I was, so I could easily show her around." he replied.

"Ah." J.J. said. Our next two classes went by without too much chaos. I didn't like either of my teachers, but they didn't address me, so I didn't make them look like idiots. Too bad. I had Lissa in Civics and Brigid in English II, but I just ignored them. And then it was lunch. This also went by without a hitch.

Actually, my day was pretty boring until Choir class. But it's not what you think. I actually _liked_ my teacher. I know, it's insane, right?

We walked inside. For some reason, we didn't have chairs in this class; we just kind of sat on the floor. There were instruments of all shapes and sizes strewn about the room, and everyone was talking loudly. Huh.

I sat down with Iggy, Fang, and J.J. There were two other boys that sat down with us. One had brown hair and green eyes. He was built, and quiet. Him, Fang, and I were the only ones not really talking. He was taller than me, but shorter than Iggy, I'd guess around Fang's height. He seemed like an okay guy.

The other had red hair and hazel eyes. He and Iggy were in a deep argument about who had done the best pranks. From what I'd heard about Iggy over the day, I'd say he won hands down. **(AN: I've never really gotten that expression, but I say it all the time.)** He was obviously a trouble maker, and a class clown, like Iggy. He seemed funny, but I was definitely going to keep my eye on him.

"You're the new student, Maximum, right?" the teacher asked us. She was younger than my other teachers, I'd guess in her early twenties.

"Yes." I replied.

"Well, I need you to sing something for me, so I know what I'm dealing with here." she said.

"I don't–"

"I wasn't asking." she interrupted. I saw Fang, Iggy, and J.J. stiffen out of the corner of my eye. They'd figured out that I had a problem with teachers. They obviously expected me to get angry and do something drastic. I didn't. That's right, you heard me. I actually didn't make this one look like an idiot. "I've heard a lot about you in the teacher's lounge. You might be a rebel, but I won't have you troubling my class." she added, trying to bear down on me.

I smirked at her and stood up. I saw the others brace themselves out of the corner of my eye, then saw their mouths open in shock when my smirked turned into a grin. The teacher looked surprised herself. "You have just earned my respect." I said. "After hearing about me, most teachers want to run the other way screaming. What do you want me to sing Ms…" I trailed off so that she'd fill it in.

"Just call me Alice. And just randomly select one of the pieces in that box." she said, gesturing to a huge cardboard box in the front of the room. I didn't feel comfortable singing in front of so many people, but, just like that first day, I didn't want to back down. I picked one out of the box and grinned. Perfect.

I handed the CD to Alice. "You don't mind if I play along, right?" I asked. She shook her head and I grabbed an electric guitar.

"Show-off." I heard Lissa grumble. Yes, she was in this class too. It sucked. I shot her a wicked grin before I started playing.

_According to you,_

_I'm stupid,_

_I'm useless,_

_I can't do anything right._

_According to you,_

_I'm difficult,_

_hard to please,_

_Forever changing my mind._

_I'm a mess in a dress,_

_Can't show up on time,_

_Even if it would save my life._

_According to you._

_According to you._

_But according to him,_

_I'm beautiful, incredible,_

_He can't get me out of his head._

_According to him,_

_I'm funny, irresistible,_

_Everything he ever wanted._

_Everything is opposite,_

_I don't feel like stopping it,_

_So baby tell me what I've got to lose._

_He's in to me for everything I'm not,_

_According to you._

_According to you,_

_I'm boring,_

_I'm moody,_

_And you can't take me any place._

_According to you,_

_I suck at _

_Telling jokes, _

'_Cause I always give it away._

_I'm the girl_

_With the worst attention span_

_You're the boy_

_Who puts up with that._

_According to you._

_According to you._

_But according to him,_

_I'm beautiful, incredible,_

_He can't get me out of his head._

_According to him,_

_I'm funny, irresistible,_

_Everything he ever wanted._

_Everything is opposite,_

_I don't feel like stopping it,_

_So baby tell me what I've got to lose._

_He's in to me for everything I'm not,_

_According to you._

_I need to feel appreciated,_

_Loved not hated, oh no._

_Why can't you see me through his eyes?_

_It's too bad you're making me decide._

_But according to me,_

_You're stupid,_

_You're useless,_

_You can't do anything right._

_But according to him,_

_I'm beautiful, incredible,_

_He can't get me out of his head._

_According to him,_

_I'm funny, irresistible,_

_Everything he ever wanted._

_Everything is opposite,_

_I don't feel like stopping it,_

_So baby tell me what I've got to lose._

_He's in to me for everything I'm not,_

_According to you. (you, you)_

_According to you. (you, you)_

_According to you,_

_I'm stupid,_

_I'm useless,_

_I can't do anything right._

When I got done, the whole room (minus Lissa) clapped like crazy. "You people better watch it. Otherwise my ego with shoot through the roof." I warned in a _I'm-just-yanking-your-chain_ tone.

"That really was good, Max." Alice said as I sat back down. "Anyone else want to sing?" No one volunteered. "Nick? Why don't you come up?"

Nick sighed, but stood up. He leafed through the songs that Alice had, found one, and handed it to her. I couldn't wait to hear what his voice sounds like. After all, he's heard me sing, but I've never heard him.

**AN: Alright guys. I'm think a slow song for Fang. Give me some suggestions! What do you think would be a Fang song? I've already got a few ideas, but I want to see what you guys think first! So review and tell me!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello everybody! I don't own Maximum Ride. Thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate it! Don't forget to review more! Oh, and sorry about changing it from Fang to Nick at the end. I don't even know what made me type that.**

(Max's POV)

Fang went over to the piano and started playing and singing. I'm pretty sure my jaw actually dropped. He sounded _amazing_. I mean, his voice was _beautiful_.

_The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting._

_Could it be that we have been this way before?_

_I know you don't think that I'm am trying,_

_I know your wearing thin down to the core._

_But hold your breath_

_Because tonight _

_Will be the night _

_That I will fall for you_

_Over again._

_Don't make me change my mind._

_Or I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true._

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find._

_You're impossible to find._

_This is not what I intended._

_I always swore to you I'd never fall apart._

_You always thought that I was stronger._

_I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start._

_Oh, but hold your breath_

_Because tonight _

_Will be the night _

_That I will fall for you_

_Over again._

_Don't make me change my mind._

_Or I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true._

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find._

_You're impossible to find._

_So breathe in so deep,_

_Breathe me in._

_I'm yours to keep_

_And hold onto your words, _

_Cause talk is cheap_

_And remember me tonight_

_When you're asleep._

_Because tonight _

_Will be the night _

_That I will fall for you_

_Over again._

_Don't make me change my mind._

_Or I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true._

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find._

_Tonight _

_Will be the night _

_That I will fall for you_

_Over again._

_Don't make me change my mind._

_Or I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true._

_Because a girl like you is impossible to find._

_You're impossible find._

The whole class burst into applause, including me. Fang came to sit beside me and I playfully punched him. "Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?! It was amazing!" I exclaimed.

Fang grinned at me, and I instantly knew I'd made his ego even bigger than it already was. Darn. "Thanks." he said. "But in all seriousness, I think you're better."

I scoffed. "Yeah right." I said.

"So are you going to join our band yet?" he asked.

I scowled at him. I'm not joining your band." I said. "Now stop bugging me about it."

"Oh, yes you are." the red-haired guy said. The brown-haired one nodded in agreement.

"This is Zack, our band's sound and lights guy." Iggy said, pointing to the red-haired one. "No one is sure why he's even in this class because he can't sing anyways. And this is Jerry, our bass player." He pointed to the brown-haired one.

"Well, that's great and all, but I'm not joining your band." I said stubbornly.

Fang sighed. "We will get you in our band." he said.

Iggy nodded in agreement. "Even if we have to bug you for the rest of your life." he said solemnly. I rolled my eyes. A few other people went up and sang before the bell rang. Gym class was fun. I beat Fang and Iggy in volleyball, which they weren't happy about.

After gym, Fang, Iggy, and Nudge went to their lockers, while I went outside to wait for them. I was leaning against the wall when some idiot jock came up to me. "Hey, baby, what's your name?" he asked.

I sighed. Why do I always have to deal with sexist pigs? "That isn't any of your business." I replied, trying to ignore him.

He came closer to me. I tried to back up, forgetting about the wall. He grabbed my hand. "Come on, you know you want me." Of course, as soon as he grabbed my hand, I stiffened.

"No I don't. Let go of me and leave me alone." I growled.

He just chuckled and moved even closer, bending down to kiss me. And that's when I snapped. I'd been trying hard not to beat the crap out of this guy, but my claustrophobia spiked. That and the fact that he was still touching me when I told him to get away sent me over the edge. I brought my knee up, slamming it into his stomach and pushed him back at the same time. He doubled over.

He looked up at me, and, let me tell you, he was _ticked_. He moved to punch me, but I dodged and his fist slammed into the wall. He cried out in pain and cradled his hurt hand. Meanwhile, I punched him in the nose and heard a satisfying crunch. He cried out and held his nose, which now had blood pouring out of it. I saw some other jocks coming up to us. Figuring I'd caused enough trouble, I kicked the jocks feet out from under him and ran towards the doors. The others stepped out when I got there and started pushing them towards Angel and Gazzy's school.

"Geez, Max, what's the rush?" Iggy asked.

"I got into a fight with some jock and his buddies are ticked off." I replied, sounding calm, even though I knew I was about to get chewed out.

"You what?!" Fang yelled and I inwardly flinched. Dang, he could be scary when he wanted to. "Who was it?"

"I don't know. I didn't get his name." I replied.

"What did he look like?" Iggy asked.

"Uh…about Fang's height, short, spiked brown hair. He was really cocky, and he was built." I said.

Fang swore. "Why did you get into a fight with Damien?!" he said, still yelling.

I rolled my eyes. "He was being a sexist pig. Besides, he tried to force himself on me. I just reacted. It's not like I didn't warn him." I said defensively.

"What do you mean, 'he tried to force himself on you'?" Iggy growled, sounding protective. This surprised me a little.

"He grabbed my hand. When I told him to let go and leave me alone, he just laughed and tried to kiss me. I might have given him a bruised rib. I know for sure that I broke his nose." I said.

"Great. Now Damien will try to get you back. He'll probably beat the crap outta you!" Fang said, still mad, but I wasn't sure if it was at me, Damien, or both of us.

"He couldn't so that." I said. "Not without his little buddies anyways."

"Mom is going to be ticked." Iggy said on a sigh. I shifted uncomfortably. He must've noticed because he added, "Not at you, but at Damien."

This reassured me some, but I was still a little nervous. We picked up Gazzy and Angel and walked back home. When we got back, Iggy told Dr. M what happened. He was right, she was mad, but, thankfully, she was more upset about Damien than the fact I'd gotten into a fight on my first day of school.

I went upstairs after she gave me the "you should be more careful" speech. I sat down at my desk, working on what little homework I had. I was up there for thirty minutes, and had just finished my homework when there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in." I said.

Fang walked in and closed the door behind him. "Hey." he said.

I gave him a question look. "Hey. What's up?"

He shifted uncomfortably and sat down on my bed. I swung my chair around so that we were sitting across from each other. "I came to apologize." he said, avoiding my eyes.

I frowned. "Why?"

"For yelling at you. I just jumped to conclusions without knowing the whole story. You didn't deserve that and I'm sorry." he said.

I noticed that he looked really guilty and I smiled. "This has really been bugging you, hasn't it?" I asked. He seemed surprised, probably because I was giving him an actual smile, but nodded. "Look, its fine. You were just worried. I get that."

He smiled at me. Not a smirk, but an honest-to-God smile. My breath hitched and my heart sped up. What the hell is wrong with me? "Thanks, Max. I've got to go home for dinner now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded. "See ya." I mumbled. He walked out of my room, and everything seemed to get darker. I frowned, not happy with this new development. Even though I didn't know why. I think I need a nap.

**AN: Alright, so I'm think that the next chapter, they'll go somewhere fun. Where do you think they should go? Like, should they go to the mall, the zoo, etc, etc. Review and tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Alright peoples, I'm just going to come out and say this. I don't own Maximum Ride. Thanks for the reviews. I've decided to put two great ideas that I got from you guys together in this next chapter. Enjoy!**

(Max's POV)

"Max, can we go somewhere today?" Nudge asked.

"If you ask me if we can go to the mall, I'm killing you." I said. It had been a week since I arrived. We were all in my room. I was laying on my bed, reading a book. Angel was curled up next to me, watching TV. Gazzy was on my other side. Fang was at my desk, using my laptop to update his blog, or something. Apparently, it was really popular, and he got a bunch of people on it. Like, 600,000 a day or something. Nudge and Iggy were sitting on these cool bean bag chairs that Dr. M got me.

"I know, let's go to the arcade!" Iggy said excitedly. I swear, he was like an eight-year-old sometimes. I frowned. Aren't arcades full of people? That won't go down well with my claustrophobia. But the others seemed really excited. I didn't want to rain on their parade, so I agreed to go.

The arcade was huge. It was full of all kinds of games. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people around. Maybe it was too early? Angel and Nudge instantly ran to the DDR game. Iggy and Gazzy went over to the shooting games. Fang was looking around, like he was looking for something to entertain himself with. I also looked around and saw one of those racing games. I grinned and nudged Fang with my elbow.

He gave me a questioning look. I pointed to the racing game and said, "I bet I can kick your butt on that."

He smirked. "You're on." he said, walking over to the machine. I followed him and we started. We actually tied. We played four rounds. I won two and he won two. Neither of us were happy about this, but Nudge and Angel pulled us away from the game before we could have a tie-breaker round.

They dragged us up to this machine. It was a singing game. I raised an eyebrow and Nudge and Angel. They were grinning…evilly. I'm actually scared now. "We wanted to see who was the better singer." Angel said.

I looked at Fang and shrugged. "If it'll get them off our backs, I'm game." I said. Fang nodded and grabbed one of the mikes. I rolled my eyes. For a guy that likes to sing, he doesn't talk very much. I grabbed the other mike and picked versus mode, so we sang all the lines at the same time. Fang picked the song. It was Linkin Park's New Divide. Awesome song, might I add.

_I remembered black skies,_

_The lightning all around me._

_I remembered each flash,_

_As time began to blur._

_Like a startling sign,_

_That fate had finally found me._

_And your voice was all I heard,_

_That I get what I deserve._

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong,_

_To wash this memory clean._

_Let the Floods cross_

_The distance in your eyes._

_Give me reason_

_To fill this hole,_

_Connect the space between._

_Let it fill up to reach the truth and lies_

_Across this new divide._

_There was nothing inside,_

_The memories left abandoned._

_There was nowhere to hide,_

_The ashes fell like snow._

_And the ground caved in,_

_Between where we were standing._

_And your voice was all I heard,_

_That I get what I deserve._

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong,_

_To wash this memory clean._

_Let the Floods cross_

_The distance in your eyes._

_Across this new divide._

_And every loss and every lie, _

_And every truth that you deny,_

_And each regret and each goodbye_

_Was a mistake too great to hide._

_And your voice was all I heard,_

_But I get what I deserve._

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong,_

_To wash this memory clean._

_Let the Floods cross_

_The distance in your eyes._

_Give me reason_

_To fill this hole,_

_Connect the space between._

_Let it fill up to reach the truth and lies_

_Across this new divide._

_Across this new divide._

_Across this new divide._

Nudge and Angel stared at us. "Holy crap. You guys should do duets more often. Your voices are perfect for each other!" Nudge said excitedly.

I rolled my eyes. But I had to admit. That was kind of fun.

(Fang's POV)

I was stunned after mine and Max's song. The machine had this play back feature, so we could really hear ourselves. And Nudge was right. Our voices did sound perfect together. I really need to get Max to join our band. She'd be perfect!

I dragged Max back over to the racing game, declaring that I wanted a tie-breaker. In all reality, I just liked hanging out with her. She was cool, funny, smart…and I'm going to stop now. We actually ended up playing several different racing games for quite awhile. "Max! Fang! Come here!" Gazzy called.

I weaved through the people to get to him, Max right behind me. He pointed at Iggy, who was playing some shooting dinosaurs game. "Iggy's about to get the high score!" he said excitedly.

"Cool." I said. Max smiled at Gazzy, but she seemed distracted. We stayed there until Iggy beat the game. "Yes! High score!" he yelled. I rolled my eyes. He could be such a dork sometimes.

Max shifted closer to me, her eyes darting around the room. Confused, I looked around. I didn't see anything wrong at first. And then it hit me like a freight train. The arcade was packed with as many games as the owners could possibly put in here, and then some. And what's worse is that a lot more people had come here since we first arrived. Max was becoming claustrophobic again.

"We'll be right back guys." I said, grabbing Max's arm and making a beeline for the exit. **(AN: Why do they call it that? A beeline? It's not like bee's actually go straight. They fly all over the place!)**

"Are you okay?" I asked her worriedly when we'd finally gotten back outside. She seemed surprised by this, but nodded. "Max, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Depends on how personal it is." Max replied, eyeing me warily.

"Why are you so claustrophobic?"

She seemed to relax a little at this. "It comes from being at the orphanage. And some of the more…abusive foster homes I've been at. I'd just feel so trapped there. I guess that's what it is. It's not completely a fear of small spaces, it's also a fear of being trapped. Having no way out, or nowhere to go." she replied, her eyes calculating.

"I see." I murmured. "How many abusive foster homes were you in?" I tried to keep the anger out of my voice, but I failed miserably.

She must've noticed because her face softened. She avoided my gaze. "I have no idea. I always bounced around from foster home to foster home. I never stayed with any of them for more than three weeks. I've been in so many foster homes, I think even the orphanage lost count." she said.

I moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly she didn't stiffen up. She seemed surprised by this too, blinking a couple times before meeting my eyes. "Why did you leave the other homes?"

She sighed. "Obviously, some were abusive. Some I just didn't get along with. But for all of them, it was always the same thing. It did _feel_ like home. It was more like a hotel room. A change from the ordinary for a short time before I went back to the orphanage." she replied.

A terrifying thought struck me. "You…won't leave us, right?" I asked. I don't know why it terrified me so much, but just the thought of her leaving nearly killed me. She must've seen it on my face because her face softened again.

She shook her head viscously. "I don't think so." she said firmly. "You guys are like family."

I wanted to ask what happened to her parents, or if she even knew, but I didn't want to push her. She'd tell us when she was ready. I kept my arm wrapped around her for awhile, liking the feeling of it being there, before I drew back from her. I stayed close to her though. I was still concerned about Damien. He wouldn't let her get away with breaking his nose.

She didn't protest against my closeness. In fact, she seemed relaxed, though I don't think she realized it. And I wondered why I was feeling like this. Why I loved being so close to her. I can tell you one thing. I didn't find the answer.

**AN: Alright everyone, I gave you a chapter, so you have to give me reviews! Sorry if this sounds kind of weird. I finished writing this at 1 in the morning.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Alright, I'm sorry, but I just need to vent for a minute. What the heck is up with people getting all hyped up when they meet somebody famous?! I mean, sure, if I met somebody famous, I'd be like, "Hey, weren't you in so and so? Yeah I really love your work." or something, but most people practically throw themselves at celebrities, begging for an autograph or photo, and then wonder why they didn't seem too enthusiastic about it! I mean, wouldn't you get a little tired of it after awhile too? Anyways, sorry about that. I'm just rambling at this point, so I don't own Maximum Ride and here's the chapter. And if I offended anyone with the above rant, I'm sorry, it's not personal.**

"Alice, can you send Maximum Ride to the office please? Her mother is on the phone." someone said over the intercom. I looked up in surprise. Fang and I had been working on a duet we had to do. Fang sent me a questioning look, which I returned.

"Sorry." I mumbled before getting up and going towards the office. When I got in there, Mrs. Marks handed me the phone. I grabbed it and said, "Hello?"

"Max? Thank goodness. Listen, Angel got sick at school today. She's running a pretty high fever, but I'm booked at the office. Can you pick her up and take care of her until I get home?" Dr. M asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I used to help when the kids would get sick at the orphanage. I'll take good care of her. Promise." I said.

Dr. M sighed in relief. "Okay, thank you. I love you." she said.

"Love you too." I said. I heard her breath catch. I'd never said that back before. I could feel my cheeks heating up. "Bye." I said hurriedly, hanging up the phone. "I've got to go." I told Mrs. Marks, running out of the school. I kept running until I reached Angel's school. I stopped outside, so I wouldn't go in there panting and looking like a total freak.

When I'd gotten my heart rate to slow down, I walked inside the school and went directly to the office. I walked up to the lady and said, "Hello, I'm here to pick up Angel." The lady nodded and quickly pointed to the nurse's office, not even looking up at me. I walked into the nurse's office, and instantly felt like punching her. Angel was laying down on a bed, but she still had her jacket on, and she didn't have any ice to cool her down. I shot the retarded nurse my worse death glare ever and picked Angel up.

"Max?" Angel said tiredly.

"Shh. I'm here to take you home." I murmured to her, sending then nurse another death glare before I walked out of the school. As soon as we were out, I took Angel's jacket off, like the nurse should have. It was chilly out, but that would help her fever.

"That feels good." she mumbled, proving my point. I nodded and pulled my phone out.

_Fang, Angel is sick. I'm taking her home to watch over her, but the idiotic nurse at her school didn't take care of her right. Come to my house as soon as you can._

I sent the text quickly before putting my phone back and walking towards the house. I walked into the door and placed Angel on the couch. I got a bag of ice. "Keep this on your forehead and go to sleep, okay?" I asked her gently.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a very angry and worried Fang burst through the door. "How is she?" he asked worriedly.

"She'll be fine. I was just kind of nervous about being here alone with her. You know, in case something went wrong. It's not good for only one person to be here if something did go wrong." I said, gently pulling her hair up into a ponytail, so it wasn't on her neck.

He nodded. "So…we just wait?" he asked.

It was my turn to nod. "Until Dr. M gets home." I said. "We'll have to keep an eye on her because after a while, her fever will go down and she'll start to get cold."Fang nodded and sat down on one side of Angel. I sat down on the other.

We waited for a two hours before I felt Angel shiver. The others had come back and were sitting around us. "Iggy, get Angel a blanket." I said.

"A blanket? I thought she had a fever." he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Just go get it." I said. I didn't feel like explaining it to him. Suddenly, Angel crawled into my lap. I stared down at her in surprise before awkwardly wrapping my arms around her.

"I'm cold." she said.

"I know, Ange, Iggy's getting a blanket right now." I told her reassuringly. Iggy came back downstairs. He smirked when he saw me and Angel, but handed me the blanket. I rolled my eyes, shot him a death glare, then wrapped Angel up in a cocoon-like way. I still kept her on my lap though.

Dr. M came in twenty minutes later. Her face softened when she saw me and Angel. She came over to us and put a hand to Angel's forehead. "Good, her fever has gone down." she said. "Thanks for watching her, Max."

I grinned at her. "No problem. I had some help." I said, winking at Fang. Dr. M smiled and thanked him too.

"Angel, honey?" she said.

"Mmhmmm." was the only answer she got.

"Angel, why don't you go to bed now?" she said. "You need to get some rest."

"I don't want to move." Angel moaned.

I sighed and laid back on the couch, taking her with me. "Well, you're laying down either way." I said, grinning down at her.

She smiled and hugged me hard, or as hard as an eight-year-old with a fever could hug. "Thanks Max." she said before she went to sleep.

"No problem, Ange." I said. Iggy snickered at me, and so did Gazzy and Fang. Nudge and Dr. M said a big "Aw!" I looked at all of them. "If you make one more sound, I swear I'm going to kill you guys." I threatened.

"But it's cute, Max! You're like a real big sister to her." Nudge said.

"There's no like about it." Angel said. I looked down at her in surprise. First, I didn't think she was still awake. Second, she thought of me as I big sister. Now _that_ was cool. Despite myself, I felt my face softening, and heating up at the same time.

Angel fell asleep curled up next to me. The others went off to do…whatever they were doing. Fang stayed with me and Angel. "So, Dr. M said that you told her you love her today. I think you're getting soft on me." he said, smirking at me.

I felt my face heat up again. "Shut up." I mumbled.

He sighed, sounding frustrated. "You know, they're your family. It's okay to open up to them. Like saying you love them more often? Trust me, they like knowing how much you care. Like Angel knows that you care because you took such great care of her. You should tell her that you love her more."

"Whatever. I'll think about it." I mumbled. "I'm not good with discussing my emotions."

"Just think about it." he said, smiling at me. My breath hitched. What the heck? That's the second time it's done that. I couldn't help but smile back at him. He got up, mumbling something about dinner. I ended up falling asleep with Angel.

**AN: Alright people, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, but I won't know if you did or not unless you review! So review! I thought you guys would enjoy some sisterly love between Angel and Max! Tell me if I was right!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey guys. I don't own Maximum Ride. Here's chapter 8. Hope you like it! I actually wasn't planning on this, but I got the idea from one of my reviews, from Asidill. Thanks!**

(Max's POV)

I woke up the next day feeling like crap. I got up, thankful it was the weekend. I changed into a T-shirt and shorts. I was _hot_, and I had this pounding headache. I walked, well, more like stumbled, downstairs to see that everyone was already in the kitchen, even Fang and Nudge. I smiled at Angel. "How are you feeling?" I asked her.

She gave me a tired smile. "A little better. Not a lot, but some." She studied me a little closer, then looked worried. "Max? Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." I told her, opening the fridge. Ah, that feels nice. I grabbed a water bottle and drank some of it before putting it back in the fridge. When I closed the door, Fang was right behind the fridge, causing me to jump and yelp. "Fang! Don't do that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" I yelled at him, trying to slow my heart rate.

"Do what? Breathe?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, he put a hand on my forehead.

"What are you doing?" I asked, frowning up at him when he quickly took his hand away. He didn't answer me, he just swore.

"Fang, language." Dr. M said.

"Yeah, later. Dr. M, come feel Max's forehead. I think she caught whatever Angel has when she was taking care of her yesterday." he told Dr. M.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine, Fang." I said, but let Dr. M feel my forehead anyways.

"Max! You really are burning up." Dr. M said worriedly.

"I'm fine." I insisted, but it sounded weak even to my ears.

"No, you aren't. You need to go lay down." Dr. M said.

"You got sick because of me?" Angel asked worriedly. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Great, now they made Angel feel bad by making a big deal about it. I walked up to her and kissed her forehead. "It was my choice to take care of you. It's not your fault." I said. I grinned at her. "Besides, I'd get sick for you any day." I said, ruffling her hair. "But _apparently_, I have to go back upstairs and go to bed again!" I added sarcastically.

Angel giggled. "Trust me, you'll get tired pretty quickly." she said.

I smiled at her. "I don't doubt it." I said, yawning. "I literally had to drag myself out of bed today." I went back upstairs and laid down on my bed. I was still hot, but I eventually fell asleep.

(Fang's POV)

I walked up to Max's bedroom after an hour or so after figuring out that she was sick. I opened the door, only to see that she was awake. She was on top of her blankets, which made sense because of the fever. "Go away." she moaned.

I smirked at her and walked into the room. "I thought you were fine." I said.

"Fang, get the hell out of my room." she growled, but it sounded weak, which was…un-Max-like. Worried, I walked up to her and put my hand on her forehead again, firmly holding it there when she tried to weakly push it away, which also worried me. She had an even higher fever than before. I ran into the bathroom and grabbed a rag, soaking it in cool water. I brought it back in Max's room and started wiping the sweat off of her forehead and arms. "That feels good." she mumbled tiredly.

"Max? Are you tired?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. Max nodded. "Do you want me to leave?" She weakly shook her head. This surprised me, but I added, "Okay, hold on." I got a bucket and filled it with cool water. I brought it back into her room and set it on the floor by her bed. Then I moved the desk chair over and sat down in it. I soaked the rag in the bucket and put it on Max's forehead. "Go to sleep Max." I murmured reassuringly.

"You won't leave?" she asked sleepily. She looked at me through half-lidded eyes, as if she could barely keep them open, which was probably the case.

"I promise, I'll be right here when you wake up." I said solemnly. Max nodded before falling back asleep. I stayed with her and made sure that the rag stayed cool. Max was starting to worry me. The only thing that was reassuring was the fact that Angel had been acting this way too.

Dr. M entered after about another hour (I'd been entertaining myself with taking care of Max and watching Tom and Jerry. Good, old-fashioned cartoons are awesome). She seemed surprised to see me in here and gave me a questioning look. I smirked. "Max didn't want me to leave." I said. A look of realization crossed her face and she gave me a knowing smile.

"How is she?" she asked, walking up to Max's bed.

Max stirred and took the rag off her head, dropping it into the bucket, splashing some water on my pant legs. "Hey!" I yelled, and instantly regretted it when Max flinched and rubbed her temples. She crawled under the covers.

"_She_ has a name, and _she_ is cold." Max said, some of her good-old sarcasm creeping into her voice.

"You could've just asked me to take the rag off." I grumbled. She smirked at me before turning onto her side, facing away from me and Dr. M. We were quiet until her breathing even out again, telling us she'd gone back to sleep. I sighed. "You're too stubborn." I said to her sleeping form. Dr. M nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, we heard Max's door creak open. I turned to see Angel standing in the doorway, watching Max. She walked over to me, her steps small, but steady. "Is Max feeling better?" she asked, looking a little guilty.

"A little." Dr. M replied. "Don't worry about her, Angel. Max is strong. She wouldn't let a little fever bring her down for long."

Angel nodded and crawled up onto the bed. She maneuvered herself until she could crawl under the covers and wrap Max's arms around herself. She is a skillful little person, that's for sure. She snuggled closer to Max, and Max instinctively gripped her tighter in her sleep. I'm probably using all of my manly points for this, but they looked cute together. Soon Angel fell asleep in Max's arms.

Dr. M and I grinned at each other. Dr. M kissed both of them on the forehead before saying to me, "Iggy's probably done with lunch by now. Come downstairs and eat. Max probably won't wake up until you get back." she said.

I stood up. "Alright." I said. "But if she wakes up before I get back, I'm tell her you forced me." Dr. M rolled her eyes, but nodded. "You go on ahead. I have to clean this up." I added, gesturing to the bucket and rag. Dr. M walked out of the room.

I looked at Max and Angel and thought, _What the heck? I've already lost all my manly points for today._ I bent over Max and kissed Angel on the forehead. She was like a little sister to me, after all. Then, without even thinking, I kissed Max on the forehead too. I could feel my face heating up as I quickly pulled back. Why the hell did I do that?

_I'll probably get sick from that_, I thought to myself. I started walking out of the room, but looked one last time at Max and Angel. _Then again, I don't really care._ I smiled to myself. They both looked so peaceful. It was especially good to see Max like that. She hardly ever truly relaxed. She looked…beautiful.

I blinked and shook my head. Am I getting sick already?

(Max's POV)

I woke up to see Angel asleep in my arms. I blinked several times, shocked to see her there. Then I smiled and rested my chin on her head, drifting back to sleep. She's a good girl.

**AN: Alright. Some of you guys asked for more Fax, so I gave you more Fax. Now you need to pay me back! I'm asking for reviews, so give me some! Tell me what you think, and, remember, suggestions are always considered!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hello peoples of the earth! I don't own Maximum Ride! Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it.**

(Fang's POV)

Surprisingly, Max insisted on going to school today, even though she still looked a little under the weather. If it had been me, I would've stayed home. She told me it was because I couldn't do the duet we had to present today alone. That might have been part of it, but I also think she just didn't want to show vulnerability.

We were all walking to school. Angel, Nudge, and Ella were talking to each other. Iggy and Gazzy were whispering about something in the back. Usually, Max would've been on their case about bombs, but she was unusually quiet today. I wonder if it had to do with our duet. At first, we'd wanted to do one that was already made, but then Max just said she'd write one, since we couldn't find one either of us liked.

But Max had actually told me that no one has really heard any of the songs she's written before. She said that they were personal to her. She didn't want people to be able to see that far into her. She wasn't comfortable with people being able to read her emotions, and her songs were like a gateway into her heart. I could relate. I was the same way with my songs.

When we reached Max's school, Max kissed Angel and Gaz on the forehead, laughing when Gazzy yelled, "Ew! Max! You have cooties!"

To this, Max replied with, "You know that's a made up disease, right? One day, you're going to like girls. Then you'll get a girlfriend, and get married, and have kids!" She laughed even harder at Gazzy's horrified face.

School went by pretty normally. Max made all of the teachers and students look like idiots, and seemed to be acting like her normal self again. Then we got to choir class and she started to get nervous again.

"Max, Fang, did you two decide what duet you two were going to do?" she asked. Max and I looked at each other.

"Actually, Max wrote a song for our duet." I said.

"This will be good." Lissa sneered. I forgot to mention she was in this class. Her stalkerish ways never quit. Max sent her a death glare.

"Just forget about her." I whispered in Max's ear. Max nodded and we both walked up to the front of the class. I picked up an acoustic guitar while Max sat down at the piano. I sat down on the bench beside her, making sure I was positioned so I wouldn't be in her way. We both played our instruments for a minute, making sure they sounded right. Then, we started playing the familiar tune. I looked into Max's eyes and started us off.

_Hey there, girl, _

_Don't you kno?_

_You're my world,_

_I'll let it show._

_You know a side of me_

_No one else gets to see._

_Don't you know that I trust you?_

_Don't you know that I love you?_

I shot Max a quick, reassuring smile before we both started singing the chorus.

'_Cause you're the only one_

_That shines brighter than the sun._

_You're the one I'll love forever._

_Can't think of anyone better._

_You're the one that makes my day brighter._

_You're the one who holds me tighter_

_When I need you too._

_Yeah, I love you_

'_Cause you're the one._

I stopped singing. Max was supposed to sing this part of the song. We still hadn't broken eye contact. It amazed me she could play the piano without looking.

_Hey there, boy,_

_Don't you know?_

_You're not a toy_

_Oh no, no, no._

_You're the guy_

_I want in my life._

'_Till the very end of time._

_You never leave my mind._

I joined in with her at the chorus.

'_Cause you're the only one_

_That shines brighter than the sun._

_You're the one I'll love forever._

_Can't think of anyone better._

_You're the one that makes my day brighter._

_You're the one who holds me tighter_

_When I need you too._

_Yeah, I love you_

'_Cause you're the one._

We sang the last verses together, our voices melting perfectly, both of us still having eye contact.

_You're my everything._

_You're the one who gives me wings._ **(AN: Don't you just love the irony?)**

_You're the one who makes me shout._

_You help me live my life out loud._

_I'll love you forever_

_Won't be anyone else, no, no, never._

_You're the one that makes me fly._ **(AN: And sweet irony strikes again!)**

_Higher than the sky._

'_Cause you're the only one_

_That shines brighter than the sun._

_You're the one I'll love forever._

_Can't think of anyone better._

_You're the one that makes my day brighter._

_You're the one who holds me tighter_

_When I need you too._

_Yeah, I love you_

'_Cause you're the one._

'_Cause you're the one._

_Baby, you're the one._

We both ended on a long note, letting it fade out slowly. Max blushed and finally tore her eyes away from mine. And I hated it. Because, while I was singing that song with her, I realized something. I'd fallen in love with Max. Holy crap.

The whole room broke out in thunderous applause. Except for Lissa, she just glared at Max. Max seemed distracted. So distracted that she didn't even return Lissa's glare. Alice gave me and Max a knowing look. The same one Dr. M gave me the day Max was sick…holy crap. Dr. M knew! There must have been some kind of loving emotion on my face when I was watching over Max and she knew what it meant! Crap!

"That was very good. You should bring some more of your songs in." Alice said. "Good job to you to, Fang." She winked at me.

Max gave her a small smile. "I don't usually let people listen to my songs. They're very…personal."

Alice nodded in understanding. A bunch of other people presented their songs too. I don't think any of them sounded as good as mine and Max's song. But that's a bias opinion on my part. When the bell rang, we went off to gym. Max kicked butt in the soccer game today. It made me glad she'd been on my team.

As we were walking away from our lockers, Max smacked her forehead and ran back, saying that she forgot something in her locker. Me, Iggy, and Nudge were waiting for her when we heard a bang. We turned around the corner to see that it was Max being shoved into the lockers that caused the noise. Damien was standing in front of her, gauze still on his nose from when she broke it.

He yanked Max up and slammed her head into the jagged brick wall. Hard. Max staggered back, hand flying to her head, which was starting to bleed. His buddies surrounded her. We were about to step in when Max seemed to regain her senses. She immediately got this panicked look in her eyes, and I remembered what she said about hating the feeling of being trapped. She slammed her elbow into one guys gut, and we heard the breath being knocked out of him with a _whoosh!_ She round-house kicked another guy in the side of the head. He staggered to the side, then ended up walking right into the lockers.

That's where I stepped in. I mean, the girl that I just figured out I was in love with was being jumped right in front of me! You weren't expecting me to just stand around, were you?

I kicked one of them in the back, slamming my knee into Damien's stomach when he tried to charge me. Iggy grabbed two different idiots heads and smacked them together so hard, I could hear their skulls colliding. I saw Max wince out of the corner of my eye.

All of a sudden, Max shoved me and Iggy forward. She kicked Damien hard in the stomach, then jammed her elbow into his neck when he was bent over. I could tell she didn't use all of her strength, so I wasn't worried about him. He did, however, fall over unconscious.

I grabbed Max's arm, and Iggy led the way out, Max grabbing Nudge's arm as we walked by. When we were outside, I spun around and looked at Max's forehead. The whole left side of her head was covered in blood, and some was still oozing out of the big gash that she had on her forehead, near her hairline. I swore and pulled out my cell phone, calling Dr. M.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Dr. M, the guy Max got into a fight with fought with her again today. He smacked her head into the brick wall. The walls in our school are kind of jagged, so it left a big gash on her head. She's lost quite a bit of blood. Should I take her to the hospital, or can you come take care of it?" I asked.

"Oh, goodness. I'll take care of it. Meet me at the house. Have you picked up Gazzy and Angel yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet."

"Alright, well, you're going to have to carry her on your back. Give her a cloth of some kind to press to the wound. The less she moves, the better, alright?" Dr. M asked. "She might have a concussion, so if she says she wants to go to sleep, don't let her. We'll have to keep her up all night tonight." She's lucky I have a messenger bag or I'd have to get Iggy to carry my bag while I carried Max.

"Got it. We'll meet you at your place. Bye." I said, hanging up the phone. I took off my jacket and folded it some. I handed it to Max. "Keep this pressed to your head. I'll have to carry you to get Gazzy and Angel, Dr. M's orders, so you're going to have to get on my back."

Max was about to protest, but thought better of it. She climbed on. Her legs went around my lower torso, close to my waist, and I wrapped my arms around her knees. I didn't want to grab the backs of her knees and be called a sexist pig. One of her arms went around my upper torso, while the other, I'm guessing, was holding my jacket to her head.

"Make sure you keep pressure on it." I said as we started walking.

"I know how these things work." Max said, her voice quieter than normal. I could swear I heard a hint of bitterness in her voice. "You guys didn't have to help. I know how to take care of myself." she added, her stubborn, defiant tone coming back.

"Yeah, but I'm your brother now." Iggy said. "That's my job."

"And I'm your friend." I added. "So it's my job too."

"Actually," Max whispered in my ear, "you're my best friend." I looked back at her in surprise, but she just winked at me. She'd said it quietly enough to where the other two couldn't hear her.

I smirked. "Good because you're my best friend too." I said. It wasn't a total lie. She was my best friend. But she was also so much more than that. She was funny, tough, sarcastic, smart, _beautiful_, and she didn't care what others thought about her. If they liked her, great, but she didn't make a huge deal out of it if someone didn't like her. She was a great singer and song writer. And, deep, _deep_ down, she had a sensitive, caring, vulnerable side that any of us hardly ever saw. But I couldn't tell her just yet.

Because of the way she'd been acting towards me lately, I think that she felt the same way. She just hadn't realized it yet. She kept eye contact with me throughout our duet. A _love song_ duet. And she'd been more open with me than any of the others. I was _praying _she felt the same way, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I didn't want to know.

"Oh my gosh! What happed to Max?!" a voice yelled, knocking me back into the present. It was Angel. Were we already at their school? Huh. I hadn't even noticed I'd stopped.

"Who did this to you?" Gazzy growled. "I swear, I'll blow them up all the way to China."

"I already took care of it guys." Max said. "I just got a cut on my head. I'll be fine. But right now, we have to meet Dr. M at home."

When we got back, Dr. M was panicking. She stitched up Max, who almost wouldn't let her because she was terrified of needles. No one but Ella and Dr. M could call her fear ridiculous because we were afraid of needles too. I stayed up with Max all night, telling Dr. M to go to bed and that I'd wake her up if anything changed. Luckily, Max didn't end up having even the slightest concussion, and we get to get off from school tomorrow. Bonus!

But, as I was taking care of her, I still was trying to wrap my mind about when I fell in love with this amazing girl. I honestly do think I'd loved her from the first day I met her. Which me she must be, like her song said, "The One". Now, I just hope I'm hers.

**AN: Alright, this was a mixture between two ideas some people gave me. To be honest, I'd totally forgotten about the duet they were supposed to do. So, thanks for reminding me about that Blackhawk1997. And thank you Termhn for suggesting that I finally make Fang figure out he loved Max. I figured I'd kept you all waiting long enough, but I wasn't sure how to make him figure it out. Then I read Blackhawk1997's review and I was like "Duh! A duet would be perfect!" Also, tell me if you like the song or not. I wrote it myself, but it was during band class, so it probably isn't one of my greatest songs. Review and tell me what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been busy. BUT…here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it.**

(Max's POV)

I woke up at 4 p.m. I rolled out of bed and threw on some sweats and a T-shirt. I checked my stitches, then did my normal morning routine. I went downstairs to find everyone down there, including Nudge and Fang. I saw that Fang looked exhausted, but he smiled at me when I walked in and my breath hitched. I couldn't help but grin back at him.

I grabbed some of the breakfast that Iggy made and sat down beside him. My arm brushed his and what felt like an electric shock went through me. What the heck? I shivered at the contact, but tried to cover it up as the cold. Fang saw me shiver and took his jacket off, putting it around my shoulders.

"Awwwww!" Angel and Nudge cooed, making me blush. I shot them a look that said _Shut up_. Fang just rolled his eyes at them. I wondered why Fang did that. But at least it showed he cared. Which meant he showed emotion.

I sighed and decided to ignore all of them, eating my breakfast. When I was done, I went to sit on the couch. Fang sat down beside me. "You okay?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Tired. Probably from having to stay up all night." I said, giving him a pointed look. "Even though I insisted on the fact that I _didn't have a concussion!_ I just have a foster mom and a best friend who are way too paranoid."

Fang smirked. "Yeah, but you'd be thanking us if you did have a concussion." he said. "But how does your head feel?"

"Fine ." I said, rolling my eyes. "Mother hen." I mumbled under my breath. He elbowed me in the side.

"I heard that. So really what you're saying is that it's kind of sore but feels better?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes. "I'll take that as a yes."

I sighed and turned the TV on. I started dozing off again. I fought to stay awake, but the next thing I knew, I'd woken up with my head resting on Fang's shoulder. I shot up into a sitting position, my face probably fire-truck red. "Sorry." I mumbled. I looked into Fang's eyes for a second. I saw…disappointment? Which turned into confusion, then realization, then amusement. The last one kind of ticked me off. But I remembered what just happened and looked away, my cheeks heating up again.

"It's fine." he said. I saw him smirk out of the corner of my eye and elbowed him in the ribs. "So, do you feel as tired?" he asked.

"Yes." I said, still made at him. I glared at him and looked at the clock. 6:30. I went to rub my head with one hand, but winced when I touched my stitches. Apparently, Mr. Overprotective noticed.

He grabbed my chin and made me look at him. "Max? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. Just accidently touched my stitches." I told him. I looked him right in the eyes, so he would know I wasn't lying. But then, I got lost in his eyes. I felt that…feeling that I'd been having lately. It was this butterfly feeling in my stomach. It felt like my stomach was doing back flips, my throat got dry. My breathing and heart rate sped up and my skin tingled where he touched me.

I was about to move away, when all of a sudden he closed the distance between us and I felt his lips on mine. They were surprisingly soft and gentle, but firm. He put his hand behind my neck so I couldn't pull away. My brain shorted out and I felt myself kissing him back. I started to get lightheaded, then remembered that I kind of needed to breathe so I could live. As if sensing that I was running out of breath, Fang pulled away.

And that's when I freaked. I'd just kissed Fang. My best friend, my right-hand-man. And I'd liked it. It'd been great, amazing. There were so many feelings coursing through me. And that's what scared me. I hated emotions, and it was even worse that I didn't know what these feelings were.

"Uh, I, um…" I stuttered. This is _me!_ _Maximum Ride!_ I _never_ stutter. I jumped up and said a quick "Gotta go." before scrambling upstairs and to my room. I shut and locked my door, then sat on my bed. I grabbed my guitar and started playing. Playing helped me think. And I had to try and figure this out.

(Fang's POV)

I smacked myself in the head. Why did I do that?! What was I thinking?! I didn't even know if she liked me the same way or now and then I go and kiss her! Now I've probably ruined everything. She ran away from me like the Hounds of Hell were chasing after her. I leaned my elbows against my knees and put my head in my hands. I can't believe this. I can't believe I just did that.

But, _God_, I wish I could do it again. Her lips were so soft. They felt so good moving against mine. Her breath mixing with mine was intoxicating, and she tasted good. I didn't regret it, but at the same time I did.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Iggy asked, walking into the room and seeing me.

"I just ruined any friendship that Max and I had." I replied bitterly.

He stiffened and I saw his overprotective brother side come to the surface. "What did you do?" he asked.

"I kissed her!" I whisper-shouted. His eyes widened. "I kissed her, and as soon as I did, I regretted it because I didn't know if she liked me back or not. And then she started kissing me back, but afterwards she freaked and ran away from me! What am I going to do, Ig? I…I love her." I told him, hating the defeat that entered my voice. I threw back my head, smacking it on the back of the couch. "Why am I so stupid?!"

Iggy sighed and sat next to me. "She kissed you back. That has to mean that she feels _something_ towards you." he said.

"Oh, Max totally loves you." Angel said, coming out from behind a corner. She was spying on us! Nudge, Ella, and Gazzy came out too. They'd all been spying on us!

"Oh yeah? Then why did she run away?" I asked bitterly.

"Because maybe you're the first guy she ever liked? Because she doesn't know what she's feeling, and she doesn't _realize_ that she's in love with you?" Nudge asked in a "duh" tone of voice.

"Yeah. She just hasn't figured it out yet. You probably took her by surprise too. You know how paranoid she is. She doesn't like being surprised, and she doesn't like sappy emotions." Ella added.

"How could you like a _girl_, Fang? They have cooties!" Gazzy said.

"You won't be thinking that for long." I told him.

"Alright, how about this? Wait here for an hour; let her get her head straight. Then, take her out for a walk. Talk to her. Tell her how you really feel and try to get her to see that she loves you too." Iggy said. "Oh, and I promise none of us will follow you two."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. But if this doesn't work, I'm killing all of you." I warned them.

_One hour later…_

I knocked on Max's door. "Go away." she said.

"Max. Please. Just…I need to talk to you." I said, practically begging. And I _never_ beg. _Ever_. It's one of my rules.

"No."

"Max…please. Come on a walk with me. I won't try anything, I swear." I said, putting my forehead against the door. I was hoping this would get to her. I've never broken a promise to Max. And I never will.

I was quiet. I had to let her think it over. I knew that if I tried to say anything persuasive, tried to push her, she'd say no. "Fine." she finally said, so quietly I almost didn't hear her. I stepped away from the door and she opened it. She wouldn't meet my eyes, just brushed past me, grabbing her jacket on the way out.

"Max and I are heading out for awhile. We'll be back soon." I called, and got a chorus of okay's. We kept walking for awhile, until we reached the park. I stopped. Max was in her own little world, and didn't seem to notice. I reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She looked back at me. I took a deep breath. They said she loved me too. She just didn't know it. I let my hand slide down until I was holding her hand. Max looked down at our joined hands.

"Max, I'm just going to say this. I don't know how it happened, but I fell in love with you. I'm sorry, but it's true. I can't help it. Max, I love you. I want to be with you. But I want you to want to be with me too. Max, what do you feel for me? Am I really just your best friend? Or am I something more?" I asked her, desperately hoping that it was the latter.

Max looked away from me. "I don't know." she mumbled.

"Max, you kissed me back. That means you have to feel something." I said, copying Iggy's words. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

"I-I wasn't thinking! I just…reacted. I don't know!" she ground out.

"Alright." I said. "That's fine. I just wanted to know. I won't bug you about it anymore." I said. "Thanks for telling me." I turned to walk away, but she didn't let go of my hand, nor did she move. I looked over my shoulder. She was biting her lip and looking at the ground, but I couldn't see her eyes. I looked away again. Why did she have to be so beautiful? So different? Why did I have to love every freaking thing about her?

She pulled her hand away from mine. I took this as a sign to leave. But then I felt her arms around my waist and her head buried into my back. "You had your chance to talk. Now it's my turn. So don't you _dare_ walk away from me Nicholas Marks." she said, using my real name. Only her, Nudge, and Mom knew that Fang wasn't my real name, and she's never used it before, so I'm guessing she's serious. I felt my hope growing again. Stupid hope.

"You are my best friend." she said, and the hope went down some. "But…you're more than that too. You protect me, comfort me, take care of me…even though you know you don't have too. I hate it when you aren't around. I hate it when we fight. I love it when you're sweet and gentle to me. I love it that there's a side of you that you only let me see. I love it that I can always tell what you're feeling, and that no one else knows you well enough to do that. Is that the love you're looking for?" she finally said.

"What about when I kissed you?" I told her, my voice filled with shock at what she was saying.

"I loved that too. I just…I was overrun with so many emotions and senses that I panicked. I didn't understand what was going on, and I'm sorry." she said.

I turned in her embrace and wrapped my arms around her waist. She just buried her head in my chest. "But do you love me? Is this just a temporary thing?" I asked her. I didn't want to get in a relationship with her, just to have my heart broken later. I wouldn't be able to take her walking away.

She shook her head. "It isn't. I love you." she said.

"Look at me and say it. Please." I said, my heart jumping in excitement. This was really happening. She loved me.

Max looked me in the eye and said with conviction, "I love you, Fang."

"I love you too, Max." I said. And then _she_ kissed _me_ for the first time. I kissed her back. Her breath mingled with mine, and it was intoxicating. Almost involuntarily, my tongue snaked out and licked her bottom lip. She stiffened and I pulled back. "Too much?" I asked her quietly.

She swallowed hard. Both of us were panting. She nodded, shifting guiltily. "Max, it's okay." I said gently. "I don't want to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. If I ever go too far, just tell me, okay?" I rested my forehead against hers.

She sighed. "Okay." she said a little breathlessly. The she added in her sarcastic, tough, stubborn tone that I loved. "Good, because if you did, I'd kick your butt."

"We better go back. It's probably time for dinner." I said. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me. She leaned into me, her head on my shoulder and her arm around my waist. We walked into the house. When the others saw us, the girls let out a big "Awww!", Iggy yelled "Get some, Fang!" (Which caused Max to punch him. Hard.), and Dr. M gave us a knowing smile.

Max rolled her eyes. But she sat next to me during dinner, holding my hand under the table. After dinner, everyone (except Dr. M, who had work to do) went into the living room to watch a movie. Max sat beside me, her head on my shoulder. And, I'll admit it, we did sneak a kiss or two when the kids weren't looking. When it was over, Max said, "Alright, everyone needs to head up to bed. It's getting late."

Everyone nodded sleepily, standing up. I got up too. Nudge went out the door to wait for me and let me have some alone time with Max. Iggy took the kids upstairs. Max turned to me and smiled gently. "Goodnight." she said.

"Goodnight, Max." I replied. "I love you." I said, bending down and pressing my lips against hers. Electric shocks ran through my whole body. She wrapped her arms around my neck and mine went around her waist. I tilted my head one way, and Max tilted her the other way. All too soon, Max pulled away. We were both panting hard.

She looked up at me and smiled. She gave me one more kiss, short and sweet. "Love you too, Fang." she murmured against my lips before pulling away and giving me a light shove towards the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked.

She grinned. "Yeah. I don't think Dr. M, or your parents, will let us skip anymore school." she replied.

"Too bad." I said.

"Alright, lover boy, let's go home. I'm tired. See you tomorrow Max!" Nudge called, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards our house.

"See ya, Nudge." Max replied, closing the door.

I stared at the door for a good thirty seconds, until we walked into my house. Nudge looked back at me and grinned. "You've got it _bad_." she commented.

I nodded stupidly and went upstairs. It took me forever to get to sleep. I just couldn't believe that Max was finally _mine_.

**AN: Yay Fax! Alright guys, I'm sorry if Max and Fang aren't in character, but I tried my best. And don't worry about the band thing, I haven't forgotten. That comes in later. Along with a few other surprises! So, if you want to find out what those surprises are, review! And again, sorry that it took me so long to update.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hello peoples of the Earth! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but I'm back! Again! Here's your next chapter, and I don't own Maximum Ride, by the way.**

(Max's POV)

The doorbell rang. I stood up to go get it. As I walked out, Nudge, Angel, and Ella saw me. "Uh-uh. You are _so_ not wearing that outfit on your first date. I looked down. I was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a black T-shirt with different colors of paint splattered on it. I'd done the same with my room, except I hadn't used any neon colors. It was basically dark red, green, blue, and purple.

I shrugged. "What's wrong with it?" I asked defensively.

"You don't wear jeans and a T-shirt on your first date!" Ella yelled, exasperated.

"I do. And, besides, Fang's already here." I said. "Plus, if you even try to touch me with any make up crap or whatever, you will never see the light of day again." I gave them a menacing look before I left. "Oh, and Angel? Be sure to take someone with you when you walk Total. We wouldn't want him to run away." I added as I walked down the stairs.

I went to the door and opened it. Fang was standing in the doorway, looking nervous. I gave him a reassuring smile. "Hey." I said, giving him a peck on the lips.

He smirked at me. "Hey. You ready to go?"

"Of course." I said, following as he started walking down the street. After a minute, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his shoulder, my arm wrapping around his waist. "So, where are we going? You never told me."

He smiled. "We're going to get some dinner. Then, we're going to Baskin Robins for ice cream." he said, knowing I'd like the ice cream part.

"Mmmm…" I mumbled. "Sounds good."

"I knew you'd think so."

I shook my head, smiling. "You sound so proud of yourself." I said, my smile turning into a smirk as I looked up at him.

"Duh." he said, rolling his eyes. "It's hard to get to know someone who almost shows less emotion than I do. And that's saying something."

I grinned. "_No one_ can show as little emotion as you do. You're like a statue sometimes."

He gave me a sexy smirk. "I can be very emotional." he told me. I gave him a smirk of my own. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He stopped us and looked me in the eye. He actually let his emotions show. He grinned at me, a relaxed, _I-don't-have-a-care-in-the-world_ grin that made my breath hitch. In his eyes I saw love and excitement. I couldn't help but grin back. I felt myself relaxing, all of the tension of the day seeping out. Fang gave me a loving, tender kiss, short and sweet.

"Told you I can be emotional." he whispered in my ear before pulling back and walking again. We ended up having sea food, crab legs to be exact. It was cool, and they were great. Afterwards, we went to Baskin Robins. I got a chocolate cone and Fang got vanilla.

"Come on," I said, "I want to show you something." I led him down the street, still licking my ice cream. After awhile, I turned into the woods. I kept walking through the brush, Fang right behind me. It was kind of difficult, with our ice cream and the fact that there wasn't a path.

"Where are we going?" Fang asked, looking around.

"My secret spot." I replied. "I found it a few days after I came here."

"What do you have a secret spot for?"

I shrugged. "Whenever I need some time to myself. You know, just to get away from everyone." I looked back at him. "You should feel privileged. I never show anyone my secret spot."

He wrapped an arm around my waist. "I do." he replied.

"But you can't tell anyone." I said, sounding just as immature as I really am.

He chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't. But I thought you were more mature than this."

I shrugged. "Maturity is overrated." I replied. I moved some brush out of the way and we walked onto a cliff. It overlooked this huge lake. It was a full moon tonight, and it reflected perfectly off the lake. It was amazing. I heard Fang's breath hitch as he looked around.

"Holy crap." he murmured. "You found this place all by yourself?"

I looked up at him and grinned. "I'm very curious. I just decided to explore and just kind of found it."

"You know what they say," he told me, "'Curiosity killed the cat.'"

I sighed. "No one ever remembers the rest of the saying. And satisfaction brought it back." I countered.

Fang stared at me. "I didn't even know there was another part to the saying."

"No one ever does." I grumbled.

I sat down, my feet hanging off the edge and I gently kicked my legs. Fang frowned and sat down. He sat down with his legs crossed and wrapped an arm firmly around my waist. I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. "Looks like you're too reckless to figure out that this is a cliff and you can _die_ if you fall off. So, naturally it's my job to make sure you don't fall off."

"I'm not that klutzy." I grumbled, but didn't protest. We finished our ice cream and just hung out for a while. Eventually I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost 9:30. "We should get back home."

I stood up, Fang standing behind me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close again. I leaned against him with my head on his shoulder. And we walked back home. But when we walked inside and Angel was crying, I instantly changed from on-a-date-with-her-awesome-boyfriendMax to overprotective/what-the-heck-is-going-on-here Max.

(Fang's POV)

We walked into Max's house and saw Angel crying and Dr. M and the others trying to comfort her. The tension instantly went back into Max's body as she quickly walked over to Angel. "What happened?!" she asked, sounding overprotective.

"Max, Total ran away!" Angel said.

"What?!" Max asked. "Did you take someone with you like I told you to?"

"No, but I was only walking him in the backyard. I didn't think he'd get away." she sobbed.

Max sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She was obviously frustrated, but she kept her tone gentle and reassuring. "It's alright. We'll look for him, alright? We're going to find him. I promise." she told Angel, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll split up and look for him. I'll check in the woods around the backyard."

She jogged off and we heard the back door slam behind her. The others spilt up, going in different areas. I took Angel and we walked up and down the street, calling Total's name. It started to rain soon after we left. I put my jacket on Angel's shoulder to keep her warm and kept her close to me. I checked my watch at 11:30. "We should go back. I know for a fact that it's way past your bedtime.

We went back to the house and found the others there. None of them had found Total. I got two towels and Dr. M got busy drying off Angel while I was drying my hair. "Where's Max?" Iggy asked suddenly.

I looked around and swore mentally. I was so worried about Angel being in the rain, I didn't even think about Max for a second. How could I not think aobut my own girlfriend! I must be the worst boyfriend in the world! "Max!" I called. We waited the for a couple seconds, seeing if she would answer. When she didn't, I stormed over to the back door. I wrenched it open, ready to go out and look for Max, even if it the whole night, just to find…

…Max standing in the doorway, holding a mud blob in her arm.

She was staring at me with a confused look. It was one of those _where-did-the-door-go?_ looks. "Um…hi." Max said.

"Hey." I said. "We were worried when you didn't show up."

She was covered in mud and she looked _cold_. She gave me an apologetic smile. Max glared at the mud blob. "If I get a cold, I am so cooking you on the grill." she growled.

"Is that Total? And wouldn't you just burn him?" I asked.

"Yes, it is Total, and yes, that's the point." she replied, rolling her eyes.

I grinned and took her arm, bringing her into the kitchen. "Angel, Max has a surprise for you!" I called. Angel came running in just as Max put Total in the sink and started washing the mud off of him.

"Max, you're covered in dirt!" she said worriedly.

Max shrugged. "I've had worse." she said, grinning at her over her shoulder. She moved so that Angel could see the small patch of black fur that Total was showing. "Anyways, I told you we'd find him."

"You found him!" Angel yelled excitedly. She hugged Max hard, not caring about the mud that she got on herself. "Thank you so much, Max!"

"Yeah, you better be happy." she said. "I had to crawl through mud for an hour and a half to find him." It took her another thirty minutes to scrub all the crud off of him. Finally, Max dried him off and let Angel take him up to her room. She kissed me goodnight before telling me it was late, she was covered in mud, and she had to take a shower.

"That was great. What you did for Angel. She really loves that dog." I mumbled, holding her close to me. I didn't care about the mud.

Max shrugged. "She didn't deserve to lose her dog, even if I did warn her. However, I seriously do need to get into the shower." Max said, kissing me again. "Goodnight."

"'Night, Max." I replied. She smiled at me and ran upstairs. So, as first dates go, this one was awesome.

**AN: Alright guys, that's the chapter. Review and tell me what you think! (-.-) Kirby commands it…**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I am **_**so**_** sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've just been so freaking busy! But I'm back! And I'm going to stop now before I pull a Nudge.**

**P.S. I don't MR**

(Max's POV)

I was at Fang's house when it happened. We were in the sound proof music room in his house. It was where I practiced, since I didn't want to bother Dr. M and the others with my playing. I was slamming down on my electric guitar, singing "Let It Die" by Three Days Grace (awesome band, by the way) when Fang and the rest of The Flock walked in. I tried to stop playing, but they motioned for me to keep going, so I just shrugged.

When I was done, Fang came up to me and, get this, he used _Bambi Eyes_ on me! I flinched and looked away, before sighing and asking, "What do you want?"

"Max, we want you to play in our band this weekend." he said.

"No! I told you that I don't want to play in your band." I said, scowling and crossing my arms stubbornly over my chest.

"Please, Max?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him.

"Why do you want me to play with you so much?" I asked him, my scowl down-grading into a frown.

"Because you are an awesome singer and player and it's a crime to hide a voice like yours from everyone." That was Nudge. Fang doesn't talk that much.

I sighed. "You guys aren't going to quit, are you?" I grumbled.

"Nope. I mean, don't get me wrong, Nudge is an awesome singer, but she's more in the R&B area. We need a girl who can sing in the alternative, punk, and rock area." Iggy said. "And that's where you come in."

"How about this?" Zack asked. "Play this one gig with us, and if you don't like it, you can quit."

"And we won't bug you about it anymore." Jerry added.

I hesitated for a moment longer before finally consenting. "You owe me." I told Fang, picking my guitar back up. The others grabbed their instruments. Luckily, I knew a lot of the songs they were playing, even the ones by Rihanna and Lady Gaga (Nudge was singing those). I might actually be able to pull this whole band thing off.

(Fang's POV)

It was the night of our concert. We always did it at this huge teen club in town. We were in the back room, waiting to go on. Zack and Jerry were sprawled out on the sofa. Iggy and Nudge were doing last minute checks on their instruments. I already had my guitar hooked up. It was totally black.

Max was sitting in the recliner, her guitar across her lap. Hers was red, with black around the edges. It was cool because the red faded into the black. She was laying back, her eyes closed. To the others, she looked completely relaxed, like she'd been doing this for years. However, I could tell she was wound up about as tight as she could go.

Max opened her eyes and caught me looking. She gave me a reassuring smile. And that's when I saw the excitement in her eyes. She'd never admit it, but she was actually looking forward to this. I smirked at her, letting her know I knew how much she wanted to do this. She just rolled her eyes.

"So, what's with the change of heart?" I murmured so that only she would hear. I moved up to lean against the arm of the chair.

She grinned. "Iggy told me what it was like. He got all of these ideas in my head." she replied, grimacing as the person on before us hit a bad pitch in his singing. I don't want to be rude, but that dude was horrible. His pitch was everywhere.

"Hey, guys, just so we're clear, we're starting out with 'Riot, right?" Iggy asked. "And Max is singing it?"

Max and I nodded. It sounded a lot different with Max singing it, but it sounded better. Like it suited her. Jerry would do the screaming parts. For a guy who was so quite, that dude had a set of lungs. Then again, that's kind of the pot calling the kettle black.

I looked over what Max was wearing. It was a black and green checkered, button-up three-quarter length shirt, with the cuffs ending just below the elbow. The buttons were open and she was wearing a black tank top on underneath. The green slowly darkened the farther down the shirt got. Her blue jeans were ripped. The long one on her thigh, and the large hole in the knee of the opposite leg was the most noticeable. She had on a necklace. It was a silver chain and at the end was a small pair of black wings. She wore black, fingerless gloves on both hands, the kind with the straps on the back.

I smirked at her. She was still the same old Max. Dr. M had told her to dress up some, but stuck to her own personal style instead. The others had come out to see us, including Dr. M. She probably wouldn't like some of our songs though. Hmm...

"Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed that…interesting performance by Jake Anderson. Next up is The Flock!" Mikey announced. He was the owner of this place. He'd insisted that we come back from the first night he heard us. He was a pretty awesome guy.

Max stood up and followed me onto the stage. As she plugged in my guitar and hers, I went up to the mike. "Hello, everybody! For those of you who don't know us, we're The Flock. I'm Fang, lead guy singer and electric guitar player. On the drums over there is Iggy. Nudge is on the keyboard, Jerry is base, and Zack is on the mix board. Now, for those of you that do know us, you'll notice that we have another member out here tonight. This is my girlfriend, Max, lead girl singer and electric guitar player, and she's going to start us off with 'Riot'. Give her a big welcome!" I shouted into the microphone, letting Max take my place.

Max rolled her eyes. "Geez," she said, her voice carrying thanks to the mike, "I think that's the most I've ever heard you say." She turned to Nudge. "You're not contagious, are you?" Her tone was mock-worried, and I heard people in the audience start to laugh. Max mock-bowed. "Thank you, thank you. Maybe I should just do standup the whole night."

The crowd laughed some again. "Anyways, let's get started before _I_ start pulling a Nudge." And with that, we started playing and she started singing.

_ If you feel so empty, / So used up, so let down / If you feel so angry, / So ripped off, / so stepped on / You're not the only one / Refusing to back down. / You're not the only one / So get up / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / If you feel so filthy, / So dirty, so f***ed up / If you feel so walked on, / So painful, so pissed off / You're not the only one / Refusing to go down. / You're not the only one / So get up. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / If you feel so empty, / So used up, so let down / If you feel so angry / Just get up. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot. / Let's start a riot, a riot. / Let's start a riot._

The crowd burst into cheering as Max stopped. Max grinned and mock-bowed. For someone who didn't have experience in a band, she had great stage presence. She was cool and confident, fun and comfortable in her own skin. She was able to get the crowd pumped up.

"My turn." I said into my own mike, which was positioned a couple feet across from Max's. Max nodded. Everyone already knew what we were doing next. "Walls" by All Time Low.

_Hey there, it's good to see you again. / It never felt right calling this just friends. / I'm happy, if you're happy with yourself. / Take off your shirt, your shoes, / Those skinny jeans I bought for you. / We're diving in, there's nothing left to lose. / I'm gonna break down these walls / I built around myself. / I wanna fall so in love / with you and no one else / Could ever mean half as much / To me as you do now / Together we'll move on / Just don't turn around / Let the walls break down. / I used to wear you like a ball and chain. / I'd run and hide at the call of my name. / It was obvious, you were too much for me. / Oblivious, I was young and horny. / In retrospect, I wouldn't do it again / Stop talking s*** to every one of your friends. / I'm not the same boy you knew back then. / 'Cause I can break down these walls / I built around myself. / I wanna fall so in love / with you and no one else / Could ever mean half as much / To me as you do now / Together we'll move on / Just don't turn around / Let the walls break down. / I can't breathe, my body's shaking. / You got away with the way you take me. / 'Cause you break me down. / You know you break me down. / I'm gonna break down these walls / I built around myself. / I wanna fall so in love / with you and no one else / Could ever mean half as much / To me as you do now / Together we'll move on / Just don't turn around / Let the walls break down / (I'm gonna break down these walls / I built around myself) / Let the walls break down. / (I'm gonna break down these walls.) / 'Cause you break me down. / ('Cause you break me down. / 'Cause you break me down.) / Let the walls break down._

It kept going on like that for the whole night. Nudge sang some, and me and Max sang some more too. It was overall a great nice. "So, are you going to stay?" I asked Max as we were putting our equipment away in the back room.

Max picked up her guitar base, slinging it over her shoulder. She turned and started walking out, but not before smirking at me over her shoulder and saying, "Heck yes."

**AN: I hope you liked it. I was trying to put the band into the story. I told you I didn't forget! So tell me what you think. What should I change, what should happen next, I want your opinions people! They might not be put into the story immediately, or at all, but I appreciate all of your opinions, and all of your suggestions are read and carefully considered. Please review. If not I'm either going to be like this: :( Or like this: T_T (That's a crying face for those of you who can't see it. My friend didn't, so I feel obliged to point that out.) So review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Alright guys, I'm back! Now, I know you guys must be dying to know how Max ended up in the orphanage, but that's the point in stories like this! We hold out the suspense. But I am going to be nice and tell you a little bit about Max's foster families. Ones she didn't like and ones she hated. So enjoy!**

(Fang's POV)

"Hey, Fang? Can you go get my laptop for me? It's in my room." Max said, using her _I'm-being-sweet-because-I-want-you-to-do-something-for-me _tone.

I sighed. We were sitting on the couch together at her house. "Why can't you go get it?" I asked.

Her head lowered onto my shoulder. "Because I'm feeling lazy today." she murmured, looking up at me with pleading eyes. Bambi Eyes, to be exact. I didn't even know Max could do Bambi Eyes! I winced and looked away, but eventually gave in. "Fine. You owe me though." I told her in a playfully stern voice.

"Noted." she said solemnly. I shook my head, giving her a _you're-such-a-dork_ look, which she returned with a _yeah-but-I'm-_you're_-dork_ look. I smiled. I loved these silent conversations we had with each other.

I ran up the stairs and into her room. I grabbed her laptop and ran back down the stairs. I handed her the laptop and plunked down next to her on the couch again. I started thinking about Max. About how fast she'd opened up to us. About how great of a girlfriend she was. And then I was reminded of something else. "So, Max, you owe me." I said casually, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Max glanced up at me wearily from her laptop. "Yeah." she said slowly, like she was just waiting for me to eat her or something.

"How exactly did you become claustrophobic? I mean, I know that it was from one of your foster parents, but you never told me exactly how." I said.

She closed her laptop and sighed. She rested her head on the couch, closing her eyes. I grabbed her hand and let her play with my fingers while she got her thoughts in order. "It was when I was six. It was the first abusive foster home I'd been in. The father came back home drunk the whole time I was there. Whenever I did something wrong, he'd beat me and lock me in this little room underneath the stairs. It was a storage room, so there wasn't any room to move, and the stupid thing didn't have a light. That's why I'm claustrophobic." she told it all quietly. Her eyes were now open, distant with memories. I expected her to stop, but she just kept going. I guess she needed to get this all off of her chest.

"There was another foster family. The mom would smack me and order me around a lot. If I didn't listen to her, the foster father would make me sleep outside. And it was in New York during the winter." She shook her head angrily. "Then there was one who gave me a concussion using a baseball bat." I was getting more and more disgusted. How could anyone do this to someone like Max? How could someone do that to _anyone_?

"There was one that beat me every day for no reason. The older I got, the stronger I got, and the shorter my stays at foster homes were. I remember the first time I beat up one of my foster parents. It had been a guy who beat me just for the fun of it. One day I got so made that I just…cracked. It all just piled up until I couldn't take it anymore. Beat the idiot within an inch of his life." She shook her head again. "Then the idiot police officer that came almost took _me_ to jail, even though I was bruised up so bad you could hardly tell what my natural skin color was."

My hand clenched and unclenched around hers. I was furious. She squeezed my hand, silently telling me to calm down. "Not all of them were abusive though. Some were just annoying. Like old lady Brigs. She was this old cat lady who decided one day she wanted to adopt. She saw me. Cute, innocent looking girl, didn't seem like too much trouble." She chuckled to herself.

"She didn't know what she was getting herself into. We hated each other from the minute we first spoke to each other, which, unfortunately, wasn't until we got back to her house. We both made each other's lives a living hell. We only lasted three days with each other. We almost strangled each other in the end." She grinned at me. "It's funny how I look back at it now and laugh."

"So, you had some good homes?" I asked.

Max nodded. "Yeah. But they never _felt_ like home. They just kind of felt like a hotel room. Have you heard that song 'Temporary Home'?" I nodded. "It was kind of like that." Max continued. "To me, it was just a bunch of windows and rooms. Emily always told me that I would know when I found the right home and family. That it would feel like home. That I would be comfortable around them, and love them like I'd known them my whole life. I had to admit, with all of the other homes I'd been in, I didn't believe it." She grinned at me. "Guess I was wrong."

Suddenly, there was an eruption of "Aww!"s behind us. Max jumped and spun around, raising an eyebrow when she saw Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, and Nudge behind us. Angel ran up to her. "We love you too Max!" she said happily, jumping on Max's lap and giving her a hug.

Max chuckled. "You better. I climbed through the mud to find that little rat dog of yours." she said. Angel rolled her eyes, but the term was more of an endearment than an insult at this point. When she'd first met Total, she called him a rat dog because she said that she'd seen rats bigger than he was. Now, it's more like a nickname.

"Oh! Iggy I almost forgot to tell you. I came up with our motto." she said, giving him a mischievous smile.

"Let me hear it." he replied, mimicking her smile.

"'If two wrongs don't make a right, try three.' That, or maybe 'Growing old is mandatory…growing up is optional.'" she said.

Iggy grinned. "Perfect!"

I looked at them suspiciously. "What are you two talking about?" I asked warily.

"Well, we thought that the band needed a motto." Max said.

"So, we're going with the growing up one. And no buts, so get over it." Iggy said as I opened my mouth to protest. I closed it again and glared at them.

"Isn't that a decision the band should make_ together_?" I asked.

"We did. We talked about it at the last band meeting. You were kind of spacing out though." Iggy said, while Max nodded in agreement. "The others put me and Max in charge of coming up with our motto."

"I actually kind of like it. I mean, come on. No one in this room is more mature that a four-year-old." Nudge said. Angel and Gazzy nodded in agreement.

I sighed. "Fine. You guys do know how to get a point across."

"Yes!" Max and Iggy exclaimed, high-fiving each other. "You rock." Max said, kissing me quickly. This got another round of "Aww!"s from the girls. Max rolled her eyes and smiled at me. "That's starting to get a little annoying she whispered, low enough that only I could hear it.

I gave Max an _are-you-thinking-what-I'm-thinking_ look, which she returned with a _heck-yes!_ look. We both simultaneously jumped off the couch and grabbed Angel and Nudge. I got Nudge and Max got Angel. We swung them onto our shoulders, like sacks of potatoes. I grinned at her. "Pool?" I asked.

"Pool." she replied, knowing exactly what I was talking about.

"What about the pool? What are you guys doing?" Nudge asked.

"Max?" Angel asked quietly. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see." Max said in a sing-song voice. She opened the sliding glass door that led to their pool. Nudge must've realized what we were planning, because she yelled, "NO! MAX! FANG! CUT IT OUT! I SWEAR I'LL–"

She was cut off when we tossed both of them into the pool. Nudge and Angel came up sputtering. Nudge started yelling at us about her hair and Angel started yelling, "How could you?" to Max, her little voice sounding betrayed. Then they both jumped out of the pool looking murderous.

"Crap." Max said.

"I second that notion." I told her. We shared one look, then took off in the other direction, running as fast as we could. Of course we could've taken them. But that would've ruined all the fun. :)

**AN: Well, that's it. Review and tell me what you think! (-.-)**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Hello everyone. Sorry for the long update! I hope you like the chapter. And I don't own MR.**

(Fang's POV)

The doorbell rang. I was sitting on the couch, waiting for Max to come back home. She said that she was running to J.J.'s house to do a project with her for science, but she should've been home thirty minutes ago.

I frowned. If Max was at the door, she would've just come right in. I sprang up from the couch and walked in just as Iggy, Nudge, Dr. M, Gazzy, and Angel came from different directions, all moving to answer the door. We stood their looking at each other in surprise until the doorbell snapped us out of it.

I walked over and opened the door, only to see a familiar blue uniform. "Hello, Officer Cambridge. Can I help you?" I asked, staring down Officer Cambridge, as his name tag said. He was even taller than I was, and built like a pro linebacker. He had short red hair, and sunglasses on, but I could see his (green?) eyes behind them.

"Please, call me Mike. And, yes, you can help me son. Do you happen to know this girl?" he asked, holding up a picture of Max.

"Yeah. She's my girlfriend. Did something happen?" I asked. I said it calmly, but on the inside, I was panicking. Crap, crap, crap! What could've happened?

"She got into a fight. I'll need her mother to come with me." he said.

"We're all going." Iggy said, stepping in before anyone could say otherwise. Mike just nodded and turned around. We followed his cruiser back to the station. When we got inside, he took us to a room in the back. It was just like the rooms you saw on TV. Blank, grey walls, and a big, metal silver table with chairs. Max was sitting in one chair, her left wrist handcuffed to the leg of the table. On the opposite side of the table was Damien. He was handcuffed to the opposite end of the table on the other side. Both of them were glaring at each other, but Max's seemed to have more of an effect. Max had a busted lip, and I noticed that she was clutching her side and taking shallow breaths.

"Damien here attacked the girl with a baseball bat as she was walking home from a friend's house. Her ribs are badly bruised, maybe even cracked. She also was hit in the shoulder, so that's going to be sore too. But, she managed to fend the boy off and a neighbor called us." Mike said.

"So why is Max handcuffed to the table if Damien attacked her? And shouldn't she be at the hospital? This is cruel! She's obviously in pain. And why is everything in here so grey? I swear, it's like–" I clamped my hand over Nudge's mouth.

"Sorry." I said, motioning for him to continue.

"…Max," he began, tripping over her name, "refused to go to the hospital, and she was trying to get back at the boy. She's handcuffed because she was still trying when we got here." he replied, walking over to Max. He grabbed her left wrist and she stiffened. She still didn't like people she didn't know touching her. "Now, if I unhand cuff you, will you try to rip the boy limb from limb again?" he asked.

"No." Max said, rolling her eyes. Mike unlocked the thing from her wrist and let it slide to the ground. Max sighed. "Much better. I've always hated those things." she grumbled, rubbing her wrist.

"You've been handcuffed before?" Dr. M asked.

"Yep." Max said, popping the "p".

"What for?" Mike asked.

Max shrugged. "Kicking butt and taking names and doing officers' jobs better than they do." she replied casually.

"Maximum Ride!" Dr. M scolded.

"Wait. You're Maximum Ride? _The_ Maximum Ride?" Mike asked. "You're the daughter of–"

"Henry and Chloe Ride. Yes." Max said, her eyes suddenly darkening. "The greatest cops of our time. I'm well aware of that."

"I'm sorry." Mike said. "For your loss and for bringing it up."

Max shrugged. "Can I go now?" she asked. "I'm sick of this place." Mike nodded and opened the door for us. "See you around." Max said, as she walked by him. She flicked Damien off before the door closed. He saw and stupidly tried to get her, forgetting about his wrist. He almost broke the stupid thing.

"So…your dad's name is Henry?" Gazzy asked.

"Yep. Henry Lee Ride." Max replied.

"And your mom's Chloe?" Angel added.

"Yeah. Chloe Margaret Ride." Max said. Her eyes went distant with memories, but you could see the pain, anger, and sadness reflecting in them. There was so much, that it almost made me want to cry. I could see her building up her walls again, something she hadn't done with us in forever, and I didn't like it.

I reached out and grabbed her hand. I shot her a concerned look. _Are you okay?_

I expected her to nod and offer me what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but she surprised me. She looked down at the floor and squeezed my hand, hard. _No._

I squeezed her hand back and sent her a piercing, questioning look. _What's wrong?_

She just slightly shook her head. _Later._ Or that's what that better be what she meant because she wasn't getting off easily on this one. If something was wrong, I wanted to know about it.

We got back into Dr. M's van and drove back home. Max was quiet the whole way, except for the grimace and barely audible whimper that came from her when we hit a bump on the road. I was sitting as close to her as I possibly could, and I still think I might've imagined it.

When we got back home, Dr. M herded us into the room and sat Max gently down on the couch. She lifted Max's shirt up rust enough for us to be able to see her rib cage, and we all gasped. There were three, circle shaped scars on Max's abdomen. Two were in her stomach area, one dangerously close to her lung area. Sure, she had a lot of other scars on her stomach that we hadn't seen before, that I didn't even think she could have, but those three were the ones that got our attention. They were clearly bullet wounds. And it was obviously from a big gun. A rifle maybe.

"Max…what happened?" Nudge asked, her voice shaking. She sounded scared.

Max sighed. "My parents used to be the greatest cops around." she said. Nudge frowned, obviously wondering what that had to do with her scars. Max smirked at this. "Patience is a virtue, Nudge. Anyways, no criminal could beat them. None had ever escaped them. But, one day, they locked up the wrong criminal. His son was mentally ill. He broke out of the asylum that he was in and went over to our house.

"My parents had just gotten off work. We were about to eat dinner. The kid burst through the door with a rifle and started shooting. Two bullets hit my dad, and one hit my mom, dangerously close to her heart. I was hit by the other three.

By some miracle, I wasn't hit anywhere vital. I survived. But the doctors did say that my heart stopped three times during surgery. The last time was so long that they were convinced they'd lost me. My mom's heart stopped during her surgery, and they couldn't get it started again. My dad died two hours after his surgery. I was told the next day, my parents were given a funeral, and I was thrown in an orphanage an hour later. That's my story." she said. She avoided our eyes, looking down at the scars instead.

"I'm so sorry." Dr. M murmured, pulling Max into a tight hug. Max stiffened slightly, then relaxed and hugged her back, burying her head into Dr. M's shoulder. She didn't cry or anything, but you could tell that she appreciated Dr. M's care and concern. Dr. M pulled back and started examining her again. Max only flinched every now and then.

"Well, you don't have to go to the hospital. It's just some bad bruising. It's a good thing that this is the weekend. You can't afford to miss any more school." She hesitated before adding, "If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."

The others said something similar before they left too. I sat down next to Max. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to me, being extremely careful of her side. She rested her head on my shoulder. "You should've told me sooner." I said, resting my head on top of hers. "You shouldn't have to deal with that all by yourself. How many other scars do you have?"

"A lot." Max murmured. "That's what happens when you live in abusive foster homes." She snuggled in closer to me, stiffening as it hurt her side, but she soon relaxed again. "I love you." she murmured.

I smiled, despite myself. "Love you too." I said. "And, seriously, if you need to talk to me, I'll always listen. I promise, I'll always be here for you. You won't ever be alone."

**AN: Thanks for reading guys. And again, sorry for taking so long to update. Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Sorry about the late update guys! My family from Colorado is over. You know how it is with family you hardly see. There's the visiting, and so many cookouts that you're ready to explode by the time it's over. Either way, it is very hectic. So, again, I'm **_**SOOOOOOO**_** sorry for the late update. I can't wait until the summer starts. Why do teachers feel the need to shove all the knowledge they possibly can into our heads the last three weeks of school? It's so wrong. Anyways, I'm going to stop pulling a Nudge. I don't own MR. Enjoy the chapter.**

(Max's POV)

I groaned when the sun blinded me as I heard someone open up my windows. My eyes opened to slits as the bright sun shone right in my face. I looked up to see Fang standing by my bed, grinning down at me. "If you don't have a good reason for waking me up at," I looked over at my clock, "9:00 a.m. on a Saturday, I'm going to kill you." I told him, glaring up at him.

"Well, fine. If you don't want to hang out with me, then just be that way." he said with fake-hurt.

"Great. I'm glad we understand each other." I replied, twisting around and burying my head in my pillow.

"Come on, Max, get up." he said, shaking me. I finally got tired of it and just pulled him onto the bed with me. I buried my head in his chest, one arm going around him, the other grabbing some of his shirt. I felt him tense up in surprise, and then he totally relaxed and pulled my closer.

"I'm not ready to get up yet." I mumbled before going back to sleep.

(Fang's POV)

"I'm not ready to get up yet." she mumbled tiredly before her breathing got deeper, and I knew she was asleep. I got kind of bored after 10 minutes, so I turned on the TV. I only made it until 10:00 before I decided that I was going to die of boredom if I didn't wake her up right now.

I almost shook her awake, but smiled to myself and pressed my lips against hers instead. She woke up almost instantly and stiffened, tensing even more as I pulled her closer. Her eyes snapped open and met mine. When she saw that it was me, she completely relaxed, closing her eyes and kissing me back, pulling me impossibly closer.

Her lips moved against mine. They were so soft. "So, what did you have in mind for us to do today?" she asked between kisses.

"This." I said, smirking against her lips.

She pulled away and rolled her eyes. "I don't think that's very fun for the others." she said, raising an eyebrow.

"But it's fun for us." I replied, pulling her closer again and kissing her. She smiled against my lips. I flicked my tongue against her lips. She gasped and I slipped my tongue in. Max stiffened in surprise as I explored her mouth. I rubbed my tongue against hers, trying to get her to try it with me.

Hesitantly, she started moving her tongue against mine. She was obviously out of her element, but she was trying. "Is this too much?" I murmured against her lips. She just shook her head and started kissing me with a little more confidence.

But, unfortunately, we had to break apart for air. Darn human needs. "So, what did you actually have in mind?" Max asked after we caught our breath.

"Well, I was thinking that we should put on another gig tonight." I said. "It's been awhile since we've had one. Our fans have been asking for you. They thought you rocked last time."

She grinned. "That's because I do rock. But that is a good idea. Sounds fun." she replied, actually looking really excited.

"Great, now we need to find something to entertain ourselves until we can leave." I said.

Max groaned. "I'm so bored."

"Way to state the obvious." I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "Hey, look, you just happen to have _The Hangover_ in your room. Let's watch that."

Max shrugged and we watched _The Hangover_ over and over again until it was time to go.

"Hey, guys, sorry we're late." I said to the others as Max and I ran up to them. We were backstage, just about to go on.

"Hey, Fang, I think you should sing this song." Max said.

I read over the lyrics. It was a song we'd practiced before, but we haven't played it in a while. "Are you trying to tell me something?" I asked.

"No." Max replied. "I haven't slept with any guys." She gave me a look full of fake innocence, so I knew she was yanking my chain. **(AN: You'll get this when you hear the song. She really hasn't slept with anyone, that's not the joke she's telling. Just thought clarify.)**

"That's not what I meant." I said, rolling my eyes.

"No, this song has no relation to me. I just think it's cool." She rolled her eyes at my paranoia. I rolled my eyes back at her and nodded. She grabbed her electric guitar and walked onto the stage, the rest of us following.

She grabbed the microphone. "Yo, peoples! Did you miss me?" she asked, grinning. She got a whole bunch of cheers. I mean, I think I literally lost my hearing there for a second. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's just hope I can still play. And starting us off tonight is our famous Fang with 'Diary'!" **(AN: By Tino Coury)**

I raised my hand, taking Max's place at the mike stand before I started singing and we all started playing.

_I read your diary_

_And it said_

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_I saw a book wit a lock and key right next to your name._

_I, I, I, I couldn't help myself 'cause things aint just been the same_

_Can you please tell me 'cause this sh** is so insane._

_My heart is bleeding_

_Paper cut from reading, reading_

_Page 1_

_Says that you're falling in and out of love._

_Page 2_

_Says all them things I do just aint enough._

_Page 3_

_No I couldn't see, page 3 says you don't know how to explain it to me._

_But I read your diary._

_And it said_

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh _

_Your diary_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_I turn the page and see a picture of you and him._

_No, no, no, that was the night you told me you were out with your friends._

_And now I know my kiss was just a s, second_

_And now my heart is bleeding,_

_Paper cut from reading, reading._

_Page 4_

_Says your addicted to sexin him every night._

_Page 5 _

_Has all the reasons that you know this isn't right._

_Page 6_

_I can't handle this_

_I feel like JT on this cry me a river sh**._

'_Cause I read your diary_

_And it said_

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Let's make a list (check)_

_Of broken promises. (check)_

_How you always told me you loved me right after every kiss. (check)_

_And you always talking sh**_

_About them other chicks (check)_

_And now it's obvious we know who the real b**** is…_

_I read your diary_

_And it said_

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Your diary._

The whole crowd burst into applause and cheers. Max grinned at me. "Nice." she said, jumping when the microphone in front of her echoed it across the whole place. The crowd laughed. "Oh, haha." she said, rolling her eyes playfully at them.

"Alright, guys." I said. "Now it's time for Max here to entertain us with a lovely song called 'Lost In You'." I said. Max started playing. Then the rest of us came in before she started singing.

_I always knew that you'd come back to get me,_

_And you always knew that it wouldn't be easy_

_To go back to the start, to see where it all began_

_Or end up at the bottom to watch how it all ends._

_You tried to lie and say I was everything._

_I remember when I said, "I'm nothing without you." (I'm nothing without you)_

_Somehow I found _

_A way to get lost in you._

_Let me inside,_

_Let me get close to you._

_Change your mind,_

_I'll get lost if you want me to._

_Somehow I've found_

_A way to get lost in you._

_You always thought that I left myself open,_

_But you didn't know I was already broken._

_I told myself that it wouldn't be so bad._

_Pulling away, you took everything I had._

_You tried to lie and say I was everything._

_I remember when I said, "I'm nothing without you." (I'm nothing without you)_

_Somehow I found _

_A way to get lost in you._

_Let me inside,_

_Let me get close to you._

_Change your mind,_

_I'll get lost if you want me to._

_Somehow I've found_

_A way to get lost in you._

_The pain of it all,_

_The rise and the fall,_

_I see it all in you._

_Now everyday_

_I find myself say_

"_I want to get lost in you."_

_I'm nothing without you._

_Somehow I found _

_A way to get lost in you._

_Let me inside,_

_Let me get close to you._

_Change your mind,_

_I'll get lost if you want me to._

_Somehow I've found_

_A way to get lost in you._

_A way to get lost in you. (A way to get lost in you.)_

And I thought the crowd liked me? They went absolutely _nuts_ for Max. They loved the girl. They were coo coo for Max. Max grinned and bowed. "Thank you, thank you." she said.

We sang a few more songs before we got off the stage. After we were done, a bunch of people came up to us, telling us how awesome we were and all of that jazz. The guys especially liked Max, which ticked me off, but I could see she was feeling the same way about the girls crowding around me. But then I noticed something else. Her claustrophobia was acting up again, and she was getting nervous and antsy with all of the people around her.

I grabbed her arm and dragged her towards my car. "Well, we've got to go! See you guys later!" I yelled back to the others, as well as the fans. I opened the passenger door for Max, who rolled her eyes, but got in. I got in and started up the car. "You okay?" I asked after a couple minutes.

Max nodded. "Yeah. Now anyways." she said. She rubbed her ears. "Although, I don't think I'll be able to hear right for a long while." I nodded. The people in that crowd had _lungs_, man. It was impressive. We were both exhausted by the time we got home, so we crashed on the couch. And were woken up by Nudge and Angel splashing cold buckets of water on us. According to them, it was revenge for the pool. I've just got one thing to say.

It. Is. So. On.

**AN: So, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Review and tell me what you think! Some good pranking ideas would be nice too! And again, sooooooo sorry for the late update. I'll try to update sooner.**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Yo people! Sorry for the long update, but I'm back and ready for action. So here's your chapter!**

(Fang's POV)

You know those nice, quiet mornings, where you're woken up by the peaceful chirping of a bird or something? Yeah, I wish my life could be like that. But _nooooo_. Instead, I get to be woken up by the lovely sound of Nudge screaming in horror, and then yelling my name across the house. Yeah, not very pleasant.

Now, imagine when said angry Nudge comes bursting through your door, almost breaking it, and has…glue in her hair. Oh, and she looks like she's about to murder you. What would you do?

I laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

"Geez Nudge! Did you get into a fight with the glue? Because it looks like it won!" I said between laughs. And that's when she screamed and charged at me. I sprang up and out of my bed taking off through the house, out the door, and into Max's. Max was trying to calm down an equally ticked Angel, also with glue in her hair, while trying to keep from laughing. See, that's one of the reasons I love her. She so much nicer than me.

She looked over at me and took in my appearance, before her face got as red as a fire truck and she quickly looked at my face, raising an eyebrow. And that's when I realized that I only slept in my boxers. And that I hadn't thrown pants on before I left. Whoops.

I looked at Angel, then back at her. "You too?" I asked, gesturing to Angel. That's when Nudge collided with my back and I fell face first into the ground. "Ow." I stated.

This time, Max really did laugh. Oh, thanks Max. You see your boyfriend get tackled by his murderous sister, and you _laugh_. _LAUGH!_ I shot her a _thanks a lot _look.

"You are going to pay to get this crap out of my hair, Fang!" Nudge yelled, bringing one of my arms behind my back and pulling upwards. Geez! She almost popped it out of its socket.

"I didn't do it!" I yelled.

"Good luck." Max said. "I've been trying to tell Angel the same thing for ten minutes now. We might have declared a prank war, but we didn't do this. I have a more…destructive style." That last bit was directed at Angel and Nudge.

"But…who did it then?" she asked.

And, as if on cue, Iggy came into the room, holding a bottle of glue and cackling. "Iggy?" Angel said in a surprised/betrayed tone of voice.

Iggy shrugged. "What can I say? Us of the older generation have to stick together." he replied. "And I decided I wanted in on the prank war." He went to open the refrigerator, and something gooey exploded in his face. "Ah!" he yelped. Note to self: Pick on him later for being a weenie.

"So did I." Gazzy said in a mischievous voice.

"Yay! Gazzy's on our side!" Angel and Nudge yelled.

"Dude," Iggy said, fake-hurt/disappointment in his voice, "you broke the number one rule in the Guy Code. Bros before hoes, dude. Bros. Before. Hoes." That earned him a smack upside the head from Max. "Hey, I'm on your side!" he said defensively.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't be teaching kids that." Max replied. Iggy sighed in defeat.

(Max's POV)

Fang came in the next day and I threw him a paint gun. He instinctively caught it, then looked down at it. "Max, won't this hurt them?" he asked.

I shook my head. "It's set on the lowest pressure." I said, sending him a _out of all of the people we know, you expect _me_ to be the one to try and hurt the kids?_ look. He just shrugged and kneeled next to me and Iggy. We were behind the couch. Then, Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy walked in and we open fired. They screamed in surprise and then ran right back out the door. Covered in paint, might I add.

"Now _that_ was almost as funny as seeing Fang tackled by Nudge." Iggy said. Fang smacked him upside the head.

"So, who planned this one?" Fang asked.

I raised my hand. "Guilty." I said, shrugging.

"Great. So when Nudge tries to kill me later, I can blame you." he said. I punched him lightly on the arm. He sighed. "Fine." he mumbled, giving me a quick kiss.

…_.then next day at schooooool…._

Holy crap…. Okay, so, let me recap. We just walked into school, and to our lockers. Which were decorated in _pink_. I grimaced and started taking the decorations down. "Well, that's a blow to my pride." I said. Fang chuckled when he saw my face. What can I say? I _hate_ pink. I despise it with a fiery passion.

"I'm just surprised they got _Gazzy_ in on this prank." Iggy murmured. I nodded. Gazzy usually wouldn't touch _anything_ pink. I guess he thought he would melt if he did.

…_.later on….._

I'm ticked. I missed the bus. Whoops. So now I was walking along the sidewalk, bored out of my mind and just wanting to go home. That is, until I was pulled into an alley. Someone threw me to the ground. When I looked up, I saw Damien and all of his little lackeys. I would've sworn, but that was when someone stomped on my ribs and the breath left me with a _whoosh!_

"You got me put in jail you little (insert swearword of your choice here.)

_ (insert swearword of your choice here)_, I thought. Trust me, any of them would work in this situation.

(Fang's POV)

I was really starting to get worried. Max had missed the bus. But even now, she should've been home thirty minutes ago. And, of course, just as I thought this, Max came stumbling in. I took one look at her, and was beside her in an instant.

Her breathing was shallow, and even then, every time she breathed in, she grimaced. She was covered in blood. Her leg had what looked to be a knife wound in it. I'm shocked that she made it all the way home. She had a big gash on her forehead, and several more cuts on her body. She started coughing, her coughs racking her entire body as she leaned against the wall. When she pulled her hand away, I saw blood.

"Max, what happened?" I asked her, carefully picking her up bridal style and moving her into the kitchen.

"Damien and his little gang." she said, before coughing again. More blood was in her hand.

"Dr. M!" I yelled, panicking. It must've shown in my voice, because, the next thing I knew, everyone was in the kitchen. They stopped when they saw Max. "What the hell?" Iggy yelled, furious. Max instinctively tried to move closer to me, which meant farther away from Iggy. Looks like she still wasn't over the whole abuse thing.

Iggy yelling seemed to snap everyone back into their senses. Dr. M ran and called an ambulance. When Max started coughing up blood again, she started talking more frantically to the person on the other line. When the ambulance came, Dr. M went into it with Max, while I followed it with the others in the car.

I saw them carting Max away as soon as we walked in. I ran up to Dr. M, who was crying, and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Max will be fine." I told her reassuringly. "She's too stubborn to die."

Dr. M nodded, but I could tell she wasn't convinced. The younger kids seemed to relax at the words, but Dr. M, Iggy, and I knew that Max was far from out of the woods. She'd need surgery for her lungs, and she'd need a lot of stitches.

We waited for a while before a doctor came up to us. "Are you the Martinezs?" he asked us. Dr. M nodded. "About your daughter, Max…she lost too much blood. She'll need a blood transfusion."

"What's her blood type?" I asked him.

"O positive." he replied. I could tell by the look on Dr. M's and Iggy's face that they didn't have O blood. "Can any of you donate blood to her?" he asked.

Dr. M and Iggy both shook their heads, but seemed surprised when Nudge and I nodded. "We have O positive blood." I replied.

"And you are?" he asked.

"I'm her boyfriend, and this is my sister." He nodded. Nudge ended up giving her a pint of blood, and I gave her two. I probably shouldn't have given her so much, but she needed more. Besides, if it was for Max, I'd give her however much she needed. They made us eat a lot and drink a lot of juice afterwards. But it was well worth it when the doctor came in and told us that she was going to make it just fine. I swear, my heart soared when I heard that.

**AN: Dun dun dunnnnnnnn!**

**Sorry if this chapter wasn't very good. Don't worry, the prank war will not be forgotten, but I just decided to bring Damien back into the picture. And don't worry, Damien will be getting his due. Muahahahahahaha!**

…**Anyways, review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Hello peoples! I had my VOCAT today, but I'm done with school! Wohoo! But, faithful readers, I do need some help. What in this great God's Earth is a beta? I mean, I've heard people talking about it, but I don't have any clue what it is. If you guys could help me out, I'd appreciate it.**

**By the way, I don't own MR.**

(Max's POV)

I groaned as I came too. When I opened my eyes, I groaned even louder for three reasons:

There was a bright light shining right in my face.

The pain that had only been slightly unbearable before spiked as I started to move around.

I was surrounded by white. It was _everywhere_. I mean, I don't mind white, but there's a thing called _moderation_, people! I mean, white room, white bed, hell, even the TV was painted white. And you think I'm kidding.

So yeah, I wasn't happy waking up in a hospital. Especially since it reminded me that the other times I've been in the hospital were when I was beaten by someone in my foster homes, or when my parents died. Yeah, not my fondest memories.

"Max!" Great, and there goes my hearing. I opened my eyes to see the others crowded around my bed. They all started protesting when I sat up, wincing slightly.

"Geez, guys. I was jumped, not shot. I'm fine." I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Max, do you know how worried we've been?" Fang yelled. I inwardly flinched.

"Um…very?" I asked, trying to put as much innocence in my voice as physically possible.

"Max, you could've _died_! In fact, you would've if Nudge and I weren't here to give you a blood donation!" Fang said, still ticked off.

I made a disgusted face. "Ew. I have Fang blood in me." I said, then gave him a goofy grin to show that I was kidding and that I was fine. "Relax, Fang. Believe it or not, I've been through worse and survived."

"How is that supposed to help me relax?" he grumbled.

"Fang, calm down. You shouldn't stress out a patient." Iggy said. "It delays the healing process or something." He was leaned up against a wall, watching me with anxious eyes, despite his words.

I grimaced at the whiteness again. "Why do hospitals have to be so white?"

"Maybe they're trying to cheer people up who are sick. I mean, it is a bright color." Nudge said.

I rolled her eyes. "Or maybe they're trying to recreate the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel." I grumbled.

(Fang's POV)

Max was not happy with being in the hospital. She tortured the staff so much that they let her go home after just two weeks, when she wasn't supposed to be let out until three. Although, she is stuck with crutches. And she's too stubborn to accept the fact that crutches and stairs don't mix, so she won't take the guest bedroom.

Right now, she was working on coming down the stairs. She was definitely getting better, but I could tell that the cast was annoying her. It was big, bulky, and it got in the way. But, luckily for the doctors, it was pink. She. Would've. Killed. Someone. We would literally be planning a funeral right now. And I'd like to avoid that, thank you.

"Need any help?" I asked her.

"Yeah, you can help me get around, and I'll help you with your English lessons." she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. But she stopped to give me a kiss on the cheek as she walked (*cough* limped *cough) by me. I sat down beside her at the table. "How are your ribs feeling?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Better. Still a little sore, but better." she mumbled.

I nodded. "Do you want some sandwich, or cereal, or something?" I asked.

"Cereal is fine."

I nodded and poured her some Apple Jacks. I poured some milk in, put the spoon in the bowl, and set it in front of Max. She gave me a small smile and a quick kiss before she dug in. Iggy looked down at Max's bowl of cereal, then took it from her.

"Hey! I was eating that!" she protested.

"Cereal? Seriously, Fang? _This_ is what you give your healing girlfriend?" Iggy said, shoving the cereal in my face.

"…"

"That's what I thought. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go fix us up some _real_ food. What kind of pancakes do you want, Max?" Iggy asked.

"Chocolate chip." she grumbled, still made at him for taking her cereal away.

"Fang?"

"Strawberry."

Iggy nodded and got to cooking. I sat down beside Max and sulked. "I thought cereal was a great breakfast choice." she murmured in my ear, making shivers run up my spine, before she kissed me on the cheek again.

"Yeah, me too." I murmured back. "I mean, what's the kid got against cereal?"

"Beats me."

"I can hear you guys, you know that right?" Iggy asked.

Max looked at me. "Whoops." she mumbled.

**There you guys go. Remember, anybody who can tell me what a beta is, I'd really appreciate it. I new to this sight so I have no clue what a beta is. And sorry about the shortness. I'm kinda having writer's block with this story. I'm not sure where to go from here. Any suggestions would be great.**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Yo, peoples. What's up? Here's the next chapter of Is This Really Home. Hope you like it! I don't own MR and review!**

(Max's POV)

Ugh. I hate crutches. They're like death traps, I swear. "Max, what are you doing?" Fang asked. I was currently throwing my crutches across the room in frustration. I was sitting on the couch.

"Crutches suck." was my only reply.

He sighed and shook his head, trying, and failing, to hide his smile from me. "I'm going out to get some lunch. You want to come?"

"Please." I said. Anything to get out of the house. Then, I realized that my crutches were all the way across the room. Damn. I really need to think before I act. I turned and gave Fang Bambi Eyes. He grimaced at me. "What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.

"Can you get my crutches for me?"

He seemed surprised by the simplicity and innocence of my request. "Yeah, sure." He got both of them and handed them to me one at a time. I stood up and gave him a short sweet kiss. "Thanks." I said, grinning at him. Then I frowned. "Crutches suck."

He laughed and kissed my forehead. "So I've heard." he said, obviously amused. He walked with me to the car and hopped into the driver's side. Then we went to Pizza Hut.

"So, what's it like to be a cripple?" Fang asked me as we waited for our pizza.

"Call me that again, and you'll find out for yourself." I replied, glaring at him.

He chuckled. "No need to be so violent." he said. "Seriously though, how are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Still a little sore." I replied. "I'll live."

He nodded and we talked a little. That is, until the food came out. When we walked back out of the Pizza Hut, Fang smacked his forehead. "Crap! I forgot something inside, I'll be right back." he said.

I nodded and he ran back inside. I swear, it was only a minute after Fang left that he came up. Seriously, is this dude stalking me? "Hey, Maxie. How's the leg?" Damien asked, a couple of his buddies chuckling beside him. I recognized them from the day they jumped me.

I shrugged. "I've had worse." I told him. "Like that one time that I was kicked through a door. Now _that_ hurt."

"So, you're saying that the fact we beat the hell out of you didn't hurt?" he asked.

"Exactly."

"Huh. Well, does _this_ hurt?" he asked, emphasizing "this" as he punched me hard in the stomach. Which wasn't good because my ribs were still healing.

I sucked in a breath and straightened. "No." I replied.

Damien scowled. "How about this then?" he yelled, kicking my legs (and crutches) out from under me. I hit the pavement hard, and then he just added to the pain by kicked me in the side. Geez, this dude and my ribs have some problems.

"Doesn't hurt." I taunted. It was at that moment that Damien practically roared in fury and tried to come after me. And it was also at that moment that a murderous looking Fang slammed right into him.

(Fang's POV)

I told Max that I forgot something in our booth. I grabbed my cell, which is what I had forgotten, and turned around to go back out to her. Instead, I almost ran over our waitress. She was around my age, maybe a year older. I grabbed her arms, steadying her.

Unfortunately, she took it the wrong way and gave me a flirtatious smile. God, I hope Max doesn't look in through the window right now. Knowing her she'd jump to conclusions, and…well, let's just say we'd end up with a dead Fang. "Sorry. Forgot my phone." I mumbled, trying to step around her.

"Did you find it?" she asked. "If not, I can look for it and call you when I do find it."

_And how do you plan on doing that?_ I thought. After all, there was no way I was giving her my number. Don't get me wrong, she was pretty, but no one, and I mean _no one_ is more beautiful than my Max. "It's fine. I found it." I said. I looked out the window to check on Max, just in time to see a familiar figure punch her in the stomach. Damien.

I rushed to the door, slamming it open just in time to see Damien try to beat the living crap out of her. Max was down on the floor, glaring at him. One hand was keeping her in a sitting position, the other caressing her ribs. I slammed into Damien, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor. Both of us quickly scrambled to our feet. He punched me in the arm, but I was so pissed that I barely felt it. I punched him in the stomach, and grabbed his head, slamming it into my knee as he doubled over. I heard the crunch of his nose breaking.

I kicked his feet out from under him and stomped on his shin, hearing that break too. Damien screamed in agony. I grabbed his hair and jerked his head up, forcing him to look at me. "If you _ever_ touch my girlfriend again, I swear to God, I will _kill you_." I snarled at him. "So stay the f*** away from her, you (insert cussword of your choice here)."

I let go and walked over to Max. As soon as I moved away, his buddies went to go check on him. Max was sitting on the pavement, an amused look on her face. I sighed. "Am I really that non-threatening?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head and grinned at me. "Nope. Damien looks like he needs a new pair of pants." she said. "I'm guessing that means you can be very scary when you want to. I just think you look cute when you're all protective."

"Thanks." I grumbled, helping her up. I turned more serious and worried when she winced, one hand going to her ribs. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Idiot kicked me in the ribs." she replied. "I'll have to ask Dr. M to check the stitches when we get home." I almost forgot about the stitches she had on her upper stomach area. It was from the surgery they had to do to get all of the blood out of her lungs. My eyes darkened at the memory. Max must've seen it because she gave me a peck on the cheek. "Relax, I'm fine. After all, I have a big, overprotective boyfriend to scare away anyone who tries to mess with me."

I nodded and helped her get back onto her crutches. We took the car back home. Dr. M checked Max's stitches before we could even get the whole story out. Luckily, both the stitches on her stomach and leg were fine. I swear, if Damien had hurt her any more, I would've gone back and killed the freaking idiot. I can't believe he went after Max again. And while she was crippled! That's freaking low, even for that idiot!

But, as everyone, including Max, kept pointing out to me, Max was safe, and that's all that mattered. Though I still wanted to beat the crap out of the guy. I swear, if he ever touched Max again, he'll end up six feet under the ground. And that's a promise. _No one_ touches my Max.

**AN: So, there you go. Review and tell me what you think! Also, if you have any ideas, suggestions (…is that the same thing?), or requests, let me know! **


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Hello, it's me again. It's so hot in Orlando! Ugh. I like the cold better. Anyways, here's the next chapter, enjoy! Oh, and sorry for the long update. I've been kind of busy.**

**P.S. I don't own MR.**

(Fang's POV)

Max was finally off the crutches. Trust me, she's ecstatic. She only walks with a slight limp now, and her ribs are completely healed. Right now though, we were sitting on her bed, watching a movie. Max was leaning against me, her head on my shoulder. I had my arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer to me.

And then Iggy came running in, ruining our moment. "Iggy, what's up?" Max asked, frowning.

"Nudge…chase…blow up…favorite jacket…" was all he managed to get out through his panting as her turned and slammed the door shut, locking it.

Luckily, Max and I are smarter than the average bear and was able to put all of that together. "You burned Nudge's jacket! Do you _want_ to die a slow, painful death?" I exclaimed.

"Shh! She doesn't know I'm in here!" Iggy whisper-yelled.

"Well, let's keep it that way! By you leaving! She'll kill me if she knew that I was hiding you." I whisper-yelled back.

"Nudge alert." Max said lazily, obviously not very concerned. We all turned to the only door left that she could get in from the outside from. The balcony. She ran in, screaming like a banshee, and tackled Iggy. "Huh, I didn't know she could do that."

"Do what? Climbing the balcony or killing Iggy?" I asked.

"Both." she replied. "I thought she was too sweet to kill Iggy. As for the balcony, I thought only me and you could do that."

"What are you two doing? Save me!" Iggy yelled.

Max sighed and stood up. She grabbed the back of Nudge's collar and dragged her up to her feet. Nudge gave Max a hurt, betrayed look, until Max grabbed the back of Iggy's collar as he tried to run away. "Iggy, you shouldn't have blown up Nudge's jacket. Nudge, violence isn't always the answer. Even if it's the most amusing and satisfying answer." The last part she muttered to herself. "Iggy, as punishment, you will go on a shopping trip with Nudge and do everything she tells you."

"And if I don't?" he grumbled.

Max smirked. "Then I'm going to let her die you're hair a nice, pretty hot pink. We'll see how Ella feels about you then. You know, I heard that Jack was looking for a new boyfriend. I think you two would make a great couple."

Iggy slumped in defeat. "You're evil. Probably suffering from insanity."

Max grinned. "I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it. Now go." She let them go and Nudge grabbed Iggy's arm, dragging him out of the room. Max shook her head and resumed our earlier position.

"Why can't we have normal families?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Because, normal's not nearly as fun." Max replied, smiling.

"Oh?"

"Come on. You know that we'd be bored out of our minds if we had a normal life."

I thought about it. No explosions, chatterbox sisters, prank wars… "You're right." I said. "We would be bored out of our minds."

Max rolled her eyes and stood up. "Come on, I'm hungry."

"You know that you just got rid of our cook, right? And your mom isn't home." I said, rolling my eyes.

Max waved this little tidbit off. "We can manage. We'll bake cookies!" she replied, grabbing my arm and dragging me downstairs.

"Do you even know how to bad cookies?" I asked her.

"Yes." she said, her tone slightly defensive. "I've watched Dr. M enough to know what to do." She started moving around the kitchen, grabbing a bunch of supplies. _This is not a good idea. Stop her! NOW! Before we lose the house_, some part of me thought. But then I looked at her. She was smiling and humming happily and…I just couldn't ruin her fun. _God_, I am such a _pushover_! Sometimes I wonder if Max knows just how much she affects me, and just how much she'd be able to get away with when it was just me and her around. I think she secretly does.

"Faaanngg." Max whined. "Come here. I need your help. She said, getting out a mixer. I walked over to her. She handed me flour. "Pour some of this in there." she ordered. I did as I was told. Then I got an idea.

I took a handful of flour. "Hey, Max." She turned from putting eggs in a bowl and I threw the flour at her. Some of it got on her face, but most of it got on her shirt. "Gotcha." I said smugly.

She scowled and took an egg, smashing it on my head. I mean, egg shell and all. "Gotcha." she said in a mocking tone. I scowled and grabbed the whole bowl of flour, dumping it on her head. She glared at me (which, by the way, looked hilarious because she was all white), and went to the fridge. I was wondering what she grabbed, when all of a sudden I had a lot of cold, leftover lasagna on my head.

And it just escalated from there. Soon, we were both covered from head to toe in food. And then it went from a food fight to an actual fight. We were wrestling around with each other. I had her in a headlock when she kicked my legs out from under me. I went down, but, thanks to my headlock, she went down with me.

I reached up to grab the counter and get both of us up, but I overshot and grabbed the bowl of eggs instead, bringing it down right on the top of my head. Which, of course, made Max start to laugh at me, and then I took in her appearance and started to laugh at her. And then we just couldn't stop. As soon as we thought we had our laughter under control, we'd find something else to make us laugh again.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Iggy asked. He and the others had just walked into the door, including Ella and Dr. M. And, of course, the looks on their faces started another round of laughter. Finally, we stood, leaning heavily on each other to keep from falling over.

"Max? What's going on?" Dr. M asked.

For once, Max actually got herself under control faster than I did. "We were baking cookies and well…" Max trailed off and looked me and herself over. "It got a little out of hand?" she finished, it coming off as a question instead of a statement.

"I'd say. Both of you, go take a shower and get changed." Dr. M said.

Max looked around her at the destroyed kitchen. "Um…" she muttered, not sure what to say. "Iggy, you're up!" she said before running upstairs.

"Have fun!" I said, clapping Iggy on the back as I went for the door. Iggy was just standing there with this horrified look on his face. I knew he was pissed. He'd marry that kitchen if he could. Finally, he must've snapped out of it. I was halfway between his house and mine when I heard him yell. "Max! Fang! What the hell did you two do to my kitchen?"

I climbed the balcony up to Max's room. Max was causally laying on her bed. Which was strange because someone was pounding on their door like they were about to kick it down. She grinned at me. "Hey." she said, kissing me as I lay down beside her.

"Do I want to know?" I asked, gesturing with my head towards the door.

"Eh, Iggy's still mad about the kitchen. He actually did clean the kitchen, but now he wants to kill both of us." she replied casually, as if this was an everyday thing.

I sighed. "How did I wind up with such a weird girl?" I asked the ceiling.

Max chuckled. "You say weird like it's a bad thing." she said, grinning. She reached up to kiss me again, and I felt like I was in heaven.

"It's definitely not a bad thing." I murmured against her lips.

**AN: Sorry if it's not very good, but I tried. Review, and tell me what you think! Please and thank you!**


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